CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(l\/lonographs) 


ICIVIH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographies) 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Hiitorical  Microranroductiona  /  Inttitut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  hittoriqua* 


1996 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  technique  et  bihilographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibllographlcally  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  In  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


0 

n 

D 
D 

n 
m 

D 
D 

n 

D 
D 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged  / 
Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicut^ 

Cover  title  missing  /  Le  litre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  Ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  t}leue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustratk>ns  / 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  ottier  material  / 
Relii  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  6ditk)n  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serree  peut 
causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de 
la  marge  Int^rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoiatkxis  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  ttiese  have 
been  omitted  from  Nming  /  II  se  peut  que  certaines 
pages  blanches  ajouttos  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  kxsque  cela  italt 
passible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  616  fflmtes. 


L'Instltut  a  microfilm^  le  mellleur  examplaire  qu'il  lul  a 
i\i  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire  qui  sont  peut-6tre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographlque,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  Image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modKications  dans  la  m6th- 
ode  nomnale  de  fllmage  sont  indiqu^s  cl-dessous. 

I     I     Cotoured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

I     I      Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommagees 

I     I      Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
' — '      Pages  restaurtes  et/ou  pellkajlies 

r^    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
' — '     Pages  dteolor^ss,  tachetfes  ou  pk;uees 

I     I      Pages  detached  /  Pages  d^tachtes 

r^f     Showthrough  /  Transparence 

□     Quality  of  print  varies  / 
Quality  in^gale  de  I'impiession 

I     I     Includes  supplementary  material  / 
' — '     Comprend  du  materiel  suppl6mentaire 

I  I  Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
' — '  slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image  /  Les  pages 
totalement  ou  partiellement  obscurcies  par  un 
feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure,  etc.,  ont  6te  filmies 
d  nouveau  de  fa^on  i  obtenir  la  meilleure 
Image  possible. 

I  I  Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
I — '  discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the 
best  possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant 
ayant  des  colorations  variables  ou  des  decol- 
orations sont  tilmdes  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la 
meilleur  imag?  possible. 


n 


AddHional  comments  / 
Commentalres  supptementaires: 


Thit  itain  n  ffilmtd  at  th«  rMluction  ratio  diacfctd  below/ 

Ct  daciniMfit  tit  film*  lu  uux  di  rMuction  indiqui  ei-dtnous. 

10X  14X  1IX 


22X 


7 


t2X 


aox 


Tha  copy  fllmtd  hart  hat  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaltv  of: 

SUuftar  Library 
*■  Unlvvrslty 


Tha  Imaga*  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
ponibla  considaring  tha  condition  and  logibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Haaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacificationa. 


L'axamplaira  film4  fut  raproduit  grlca  t  It 
gtntrotit*  da: 

Stniffar  Library 
Ounn'»  Unlvaraity 

Lai  Imagas  luivantai  ont  ttt  raproduiiai  ivac  la 
plus  grand  toin.  eompta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattata  da  I'aiamplaira  filma,  at  an 
eonformlt*  avae  iaa  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 


Original  capias  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  eovar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impraa- 
sion,  or  tha  baeli  eovar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  eopiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  Illustratad  impraa- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  Uluatratad  impraaaion. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  —^  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applias. 

Mspa.  platas.  charts,  ate.  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  ineludad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar.  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  illustrata  tha 
mathod: 


Laa  asamplalras  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  Imprimta  sont  fllmds  an  commangant 
par  la  pramlar  plat  at  an  tarmlnant  soit  par  la 
darniira  paga  qui  eomporta  una  amprainta 
d'Imprassion  ou  d'illustraiion.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  eas.  To"t  las  autras  axamplairas 
orlginaux  sont  fllmds  an  eommancant  par  la 
pramiAra  paga  qui  eomporta  una  amprainta 
d'lmpraasion  ou  d'illuatration  at  an  tarmlnant  par 
la  darnitra  paga  qui  eomporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  symbolos  suivanis  ipparaitra  sur  la 
darnitra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  ^  signifia  "A  SUIVRE ".  la 
symbols  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 

Laa  cartaa.  planchaa.  ubiaaux.  ate.  pauvant  lira 
filmta  i  daa  Uux  da  rMuction  diffOranis. 
Lorsqua  la  documant  ast  trop  grand  pour  ttra 
raproduit  an  un  saul  clicht,  il  ast  film*  *  partir 
da  I'angla  supAriaur  gaucha.  da  gaucha  *  droits, 
at  da  haut  an  bas.  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'imagaa  ndcasaaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
illustrant  la  mdthoda. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

«ie«oeorY  nwunioN  im  omit 

(ANSI  ond  ISO  TtST  CHMT  No.  1) 


1.0 


I.I 


1" 


12.2 


12.0 


1.8 


ni^iu^i^ 


y'IPPLIED  IM/OE    inc 

ieS3  Eoit  Uam  Stml 

:-xhntt.   Nta  Yoh.    14609   US* 

{7t6)  *82  -  0300  -  Phon. 

(7t6)  2S0-59Bg  -Fo. 


"^"iA^.a.^.^.^. 


^«^  .  /.  'qoS' . 


^/tr  c^^^/f/i. 


^V.^ 


THE  TRUTH  OF  THE  APOSTOLIC 
GOSPEL 


The   Truth 


APOSTOLIC    GOSPEL 


■r 


Pr I  NCI  pal 
R.   A.    Falconer,   D.    Litt. 


New  Yoiik: 

The  rmeniitioinl  Committee  of  Young  Men'i 

Christian  Asaociatioiu 

190+ 


COPYHIOHTED,  1904, 

BY 

THE  I»TEI<K»T10»,L  COMMITTEE 

OF 

YOUKO  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


\t- 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


The  aim  of  this  course  is  much  less  pretentious  than  to  furnish  a 
complete  system  of  Christian  apologetic.  In  accordance  with  the  re- 
quest which  was  made  of  him,  the  author  has  simply  drawn  up  a  series 
of  studies,  as  far  as  might  be  from  the  New  Testament  itself,  for  the 
purpose  of  setting  forth  the  essence  and  strength  of  the  Gospel  which 
.s  .ts  heart.  While  the  difficulties  of  the  college  s.udcnt  have  been  kept 
steadily  in  view,  it  is  hoped  that  others  may  find  equally  well  that  these 
pages  ^elp  them  to  understand  some  of  the  convincing  reasons,  which  we 
have  to-day  more  than  ever,  for  believing  in  the  truth  of  the  Apostolic 
Gospel.  The  New  Teslamct  in  Modern  Speech,  by  Richard  Francis 
Weymouth,  may  be  recommended  as  a  useful  aid  for  these  studies 


f 


CONTENTS 


lNT,o„.cToHv,    Study,.    Attitude  and  Sources. 


Par  I  11. 


Part  III. 


Study 
Study 
Study  ^ 
Study  ; 
Study  6 
Study  7 
Study  8 
Study  g, 
Study  ro. 
Study  II. 


TheR,seofaNewBrotherh<Kxi.     . 
AFenowsh.pofLovetoChrist     . 
The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 

The  ctri  V  'T"  '"  "■=  •'-'■'"tood 
The  E^h     \Z^^"^'^'  "  ^^«  Creation 
The  Eth,cal  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 
The  Chnsfan  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life    . 
I  he  Christian  in  Public  Life 
Great  Personalities. 

The  Christian  Literature-The  New  Tesh 
ment    ...  ^eata 


IS 
25 

32 

3') 
46 
53 

fio 

f'7 


Study  12.  The  Gospel 

Study  13.  The  Jesus  of  the  Oospels '^ 

L"rt'"'-  ?°-'"^"=°f"'=GospeIs_His  Claim    '     '  "^ 

Study,;.  The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Aposles            '     '  " 

Study  ,6.  The  Manifold  Gospel            .;    '     '     "  ■"4 

T/,e  CreMiUly  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study,,.    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 

tiird'r.''''"'"''''''^^''^^'^'-"- 

The  Christ  of  the  Church "* 

The^tness  of  the  Works  of  the  Living     '" 
■■■■■■••■•     :42 


Study  1 8. 

Study  Ig. 
Study  2o. 


INTRODUCTORY 


STUDY  1.     ATTITUDE  AND  SOURCES 


Thi  Truth  of  ihi  Arostouc  Gospb. 


Study  i;    Attitude  and  Sources 


First  Day:    All  Truth  is  One  and  Spiritual 

a  pervading  and  ever  clearer  '  fnrinl     r,     '  "'""/'  ''°'"  '«^  '"  ^K«. 
for  the  amplitud?  of  pre«ntTnollelgrrnd"experiener""«  '°°  ""'' 

o4^SMS;^s^=-io^f^3op[-^ 

8:3-9;  Matt.  6:32   33-  ^eJe-  i'«"Tnh '•''"""  "  'i'^'^iplined  (Ps. 


^"'■•""'"-'^'o.ToucGosP., 
S'"dy  .:    Attitude  and  Sources 


Second  Day ; 


^"'"^"•^■'—   P--,..HOKUrE 


IS  umforni— lo  n.„      ■   2'  "°wcver,  rests  n-T  ,1,         "  °*  sim  ar  event. 

flm  ,s  /ai,h.        ""  •"="  Reason  ,s  the  supr.J"Siri,or  T'''^^'  <"" 

director  of  existence. 
*■     inere/ore  the  hint,    *  r 

order  to  arrive  at  the  ,  ,-h  "/  ""''  ""^  facultv  „f "  "  ''!'^  '"^  •" 
"^"^' our  moral  and  s„  ri?ual  f  7'""'  «ience  "r  of  ff'"  ''"S"*'''  ■" 
spintu.!  realm.  VVe  ass^,^  .1"'^^  '°  manifest  to  n.  .i.  """''•  "  *= 
highest  truth  of  all  th„  1!  ""=,  ""''  ''eligious  lliil      l""*  "•"'h  of  the 

"lis  assumpt.on  (Heb.  11:13  27)  '^  ""  "'■"- 

^-SiE?J!fii-^o^H^UL:^l,,-/r^"-'■»''in 

5C.0US  fellowship  with  the'^f  ^™'i!.^-=s  'hough  we''"^'''r'L™'.*''ereby 
?&d^r;S;™S^^^S^el!i".li5;i°^^ 

.^Tthe^trCtf  aTdSt  f"?^^- o?  S^^^^^^^^^^ 

-  •■  ^./.  R.  r„?',l'rt-^-"  '-^  '0  ^e  found  in  ...eason  and  rL 


Till  Tbuth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospii. 


Study  i:    Attitude  and  Sources 


Third  Dav:  The  Truth  ok  the  Gospel  ,s  Self-Ev.dent 
them.    Throughout  the  New  Te«.-,m^nf  •.  ■     healthy-minded  lo  believe 

f  ..?f  ^^<!:''!o-reSSHiS;F'^  •-^■'n! 

faculty  for  discerning  truth  Fac^s  are  s^ill,f  i^  '  ""'  ='PP-"'  '°  ""'"'^ 
and  mysteries  are  revealed  ff.ll  ^^„l  i  ^  V  *"?*'  positive  manner, 
a  response  in  the  hearts  of  m«a       "'"'^''""'^  "''"  ""'y  will  meet  with 

men    accounts  'or  this  unbelief  by  thl  fact  of  sin      aV'-    ^'''  T"!  ' 

an!?^;?y'^}°5iIX^H  ~3|--"'--S 
counteract  their  sinful  love  of  this  worfd^TV  "  '"essage  could  not 
gospels  offer  for  such  incomprehens.U  conducJ     '  ""  ™'^  "'"'"  "« 

oni:  tL'uLTlmT.o"^",!]  \^„y&er  '■"  "-"^  ■'  "™=  ''-''  but 
lowship  with  Him     We  need  not  denJ'',L7''^'°"'  V'""  ""es  for  fel- 

th.  truths  of  nature  and"p'hnosSphy  for  Jlod'is'lmnf "  °/*^°^.  "'""«'' 
but  our  souls  thirst  for  the  living  God  "S"" '=  ™'^a"ent  m  the  world, 
yearning  is  found  in  the  Old  Tesfamen,  plalmf  /.fi'  "P«=si<">  of  this 
Our  human  reason  is  not  satisfied Tfu  it  fi„j  ('6;42:i,  2:  116:4-7). 
our  Holy  Father.  Now  the  h«rt  n  h-^-^  .  "■-"  J"  ^^'^  '°'^  "'  God 
the  assurance  of  cternaMife  in  feltowship  wUh  m^"  'l  ^'-'"^i  '%'""' 
(Matt.  „  -.^r-io:  John  ,4:23;  16:33;  S.  83,-"')""  ''''°  "  "■'  ^ruth 


THt  T.UTB  0,  TH,  A™toUC  Gc™. 


Study  ,:    Attitude  and  Sources 


After  Truth  ? 

mmmi 


.department  of  life     wL'-vTr  V,.,'"/'".'  ""''•"ion  cov- 


of'f?,H°^'T  ™«  <"epartment  of  iif,'" 


Thi  T«UIH  or  THl  AfoBTOLIC  GOSPIL 


Study   i:    Attitude  and  Sources 


FiiTH  Day:    The  Conservative   Positjon   with   Resi'Ect 
TO  THE  New  Testament 

,1^1'.  T^M*"  "P'"'"*  o'.O""'  ""di"  we  are  confronted  with  this  oues- 
^»„  ,1'  """  =ny«"='"  ground  in  the  New  Testament  on  whicSwe 
a1.',^-  °r'  "^,",''  S  "'■''"  "o  "■""'•'"  ""  "»'"«  ""d  validiTy  of  the 
Apostolic  Gospel?    Has  not  recent  criticism  wrought  such  havoc  w,h 

w;;,,^!,,,"' ."''■'*'"  J"'™"''  "'"'  '"  ""'  f™-"  'h™  as  they  a  J 
once?  The-  if'",*'"',  °"  """"P'i™  "l"^l>  would  be  challenge/" 
^lu  .J  '  "•  "  "  '""■  '"  "'"me  school  whose  scepticism  will 
h»Thi.""k  "^  ■""■"  "V  '""'  '"  ""  ''''»'  Testamen-  as  authentic 
^^L  til"''?"'  'V°  ™t"."d  unimportant  that  it  would  serve  i^onur 
pose  for  us  to  refer  to  their  conclusions.  ^ 

•.,„'i'„,J,v ''  """«"»?ry  in  these  studies  to  make  an  independent  ex- 
=  .,hn,  ?  °'  L'".^'°J''  °'  ""^  N'*  Testament  in  ordei  to  determine  he 
iected  in  „'fr';'''«"'l'  ■*?'£■  ="''  'he  readers;  for  our  results  would  b^  re 
ected  in  part  at  least  by  men  who.  one  would  fain  hope,  might  agree 
Z^ZrT"  ""'^'"^■o'JS;  The  writ.-r  of  these  sti'dies  i,  ofopinion 
that  the  conserva  ive  positions  with  respect  to  the  i'Jew  Testament  ire 
justifying  themseves  more  and  more  under  the  scru.Tny  o  Se  mos' 
S.lM,h^°'"','"''-  W'de.'pread  early  tradition  is  in  general  fmind 
to  yield  the  most  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  origin  of  these  writings 

3.    Conservative  critxs  believe  that  the  books  of  the  New  Testament 

?hnr™fiil*'""",M  '  "■■''  ""'V^'  ="<■  P^"""  in  ">"r  pre*ent  form  a 
thoroughly  creJibe  account  of  the  life  and  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ   and 

Thev  hnM  V  S"  ^^'"'  =?""«  "'^  <""'P'"  '"  'he  prim  live  Church 
neU^=„J  ,1^  .'  'l"'.u  "PO^'oh':  sources  are  represented  in  our  four  gos- 
pels, and  that  of  these  the  Gospel  of  John  at  least  was  written  by  an 
eye-witness.  Acts  is  regarded  as  the  work  of  a  companion  o  Paul  and 
«^erefore  a  reliable  history,  and  the  epistles  are  assisted  to  t.ie  au  hors 
whose  names  they  carry.  Of  all  the  epistles  2  Peter  is  the  only  one 
^^^«IU"'T^^  questioned  by  scholars  who  represent  the  conl^rva! 
r/4„,  pJf'A-' .?""'  ™  ".h"  °P"i°"  i'  K'-^'ly  divided.  Perhaps7he 
recent  Bible  Dictionary,  edited  by  Dr.  James  Hastings,  may  Ik  taSen  as 
a  standard  for  the  conservative  position  with  regard  ti  the  New  Testa 

English?pilk?Krs"h^far''s=  ""  '""""'  "'  '"'  '"^'"'"^  "'  '^'  '-™" 


Study  ,:    Attitude  and  Sou 


rces 


Sixth  Day-     Tu»   r„. 

Spirit  is  moiild  „I  iTi.    i  ''    "'"^^  ""y  day  and  h.  I  ?■    "''"'  '"  his 

"  a  lovh,/Fa,tr  h'^"-''''  " ,"  •"■  accepts  he  S"""'"  '  ^''"'"'" 
person  of  Christ  h'l''^  '"  fepelled  by  the  anosiSi.  ■^"  "'"^  "'  God 
n-at,,  and  is  s"  Lfc"  "i"'  ^""^  could  nMhav^  conception  of  the 

-X  -nti..  '^r'^^^;;^^^;-'- -^ont  %^  r  p-i™ 


Tm  Tkuim  cif  Till  Apostolic  Ckwpil 
Study   i:    Attitude  and  Sources 


Sevinth   Day:    The   Method  ano   Po-     on   Adoimwi  in 
TiiESK  Studies 

.  Li.„?"'  x?  '','°  ""•'<''f,'>«  Phtnomtna  of  ihc  New  TcMirncnt  ai 
a  whplt.  Thtreforc  wt  shall  nnt  assume  the  corrcclness  of  the  o->n. 
«rva»ve  view     Bn     ,11  that  is  n,cessary  i,  to  t.iko  for  granted  certain 

?ad  S  'w'Lom  '  '  ''"'"\'T  1,""'"'"'''  *>y  '"y  "cept  those  extretn" 
radicals,  whom  c  may  safely  leave  om  of  consideration  at  nrcsent 
thotigh  they  w,l  not  be  accepted  t.y  conservative  ,cho  ar"  a,  an  ad.^' 
juate  account  of  the  New  Testament. 

mi'in  ^A  '^f.u""«''  '^  Christian  life  of  the  period  covered  by  the 
inain  body  of  the  New  Testament  as  a  definite  Imtorical  nianifctatinn 
the  sahetit  feattires  of  which  will  be  brought  under  review  in  order  to 
discover  If  nosjible  their  essential  meaning  and  motive  power:  and  our 
nterest  wili  ho  concentrated  on  the  social,  moral,  and  religious  cnnd- 
whhi.lhe'p'.riSd'  "  "  ""'"•  "'""  "■""  ""  ""  O^'-I^J  P''k""' 

,1,^;.  ''?^^'T?  P""'eP"'',.«"  sh?'!  assume,  as  with  good  reason  we  may, 
that.  (I)  These  Pauline  epistles  are  undnuhteHy  genuine— i  Thessa- 
lonians  Galatia  .,,  i  and  2  Corinthians,  and  Romans.  They  were  written 
not  earlier  than  45  A.  D.,  nor  later  than  59  A.  D. 
.1™  Philippians,  Colossians,  Philemon  almost  certainly,  and  Ephc 
sians  very  probably,  were  written  by  Pu,l  not  later  than  64  A.  D ,  and 

TZ,rr  oTfi°/fi''  !°'  ''.'P'"'"?  ]}"'"'•:  "'  "■'  Church  in  the  third 
quarter  0/  the  first  century.  Indeed  we  mnv  in  ordinary  cases  use 
them  as  sources  for  Pauline  thouf  ht. 

(.1)  At  the  basis  of  our  synoptic  gospels  there  lie  two  aoostolic 
m"J^^:Z'JA"T  ""t^-li'd  fW'.fly  in  Nfark  and  reproduced 'in  our 
to  he  AnosHeM ',";;'"''  =  ^P"""™  °'  d  scourses  of  Jesus  attributed 
to  the  Apostle  Matthew.  These  were  written  down  before  MAD 
Our  present  synoptic  gospels,  containing  these  sources  as  their  chief 
go  AD  """  """"""^  independently  of  one  another  not  later  than 

thilLtl"'!  ^°°ii  °^;^",5•  ""^  Apocalypse,  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
he  pastoral  epistles,  the  Gospel  of  John,  and  the  Catholic  epistles  (with 

A.  p.  Most  of  them  were  probably  written  before  the  end  of  the  first 
century,  and  first  Peter,  liite  Ephesians,  may  confidently  be  used  for 
aposwhc  doctrine.    (See  B.  W.  Bacon's  Introduction  to  the  New  Testa- 

A  ^■r^  ^"l"'  ''°°'"  ^".  witness  to  the  existence  between  45  and  12; 
tr  «,?L\  ".'tV^'  I'  character,  ideals  and  belief.  It  is  hoped  tha? 
^^Lf  •  .  L"""  Phf'iomena  may  serve  to  show  that  the  apostolic 
gospel  is  true,  because  it  is  a  reasonable  and  sufficient  explanation  of 
the  origin  and  progress  of  this  Christian  life  and  belief 


PART  I. 


THE  PHENOMENA  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  a:    The  Rise  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


First  Day:    Rapid  Growth  in  Jewish  and  Gentile 
Worlds 

r.  One  of  the  most  striking  phenomena  in  history  is  the  appearance 
of  the  community  of  believers  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  Messiah  of 
Israel  and  Son  of  God  (Acts  2:36),  and  their  rapid  extension  through 
the  Roman  world  during  the  first  century  of  our  era.  Though  the 
leaven  at  work  in  Jerusalem  by  30  A.  D.  was  a  very  small  particle,  its 
fermenting  activity  was  marvelous. 

2.  Owing  to  the  vagueness  of  early  chronology  an  estimate  of  the 
rapidity  of  growth  is  necessarily  uncertain,  but  the  martyrdom  of 
Stephen  and  the  early  life  of  Paul  prove  that  the  new  religion  soon 
produced  a  profound  impression  on  the  Jewish  world.  Would  a  man  of 
the  standing  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  have  spent  his  energy  in  making  havoc 
of  a  sect  which  might  be  despised?  (Gal.  1:13,  14.)  Proof  of  the 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  hierarchy  lest  the  Nazarenes  might  pervert 
the  populace  is  afforded  by  their  summary  method  with  Stephen  (Acts 
6:1217:54—8:3). 

3.  Stephen's  death  brought  the  new  religion  to  a  parting  of  the 
ways.  Henceforth  the  Nazarenes  cannot  remain  a  mere  sect  of  Judaism. 
Persecution  scatters  far  and  wide  the  seed  of  the  Word,  which  springs 
up  in  Samaria,  the  coast  region,  and  Damascus  (Acts  8:4;  9:3iff. ; 
10:  iff).  The  new  churches,  however,  are  still  of  the  same  type  as  the 
mother  church  at  Jerusalem,  Hebraic  rather  than  Hellenistic  in  spirit, 
the  converts  being,  it  is  probable,  almost  entirely  born  Jews,  though 
there  were  also  some  proselytes. 

4.  How  should  we  expect  the  Church  to  grow?  By  the  initiative 
of  the  apostles  ?  It  was  not  so.  (See  Acts  11 :  19-21.)  The  gospel  was 
carried  to  various  parts  of  the  world  as  God  through  the  circumstances 
of  life  might  lead.  Thus  it  is  probable  that  brethren  of  no  eminence 
among  the  original  circle  founded  the  churches  of  Rome  and  Alexandria, 
as  they  certainly  did  that  of  Antioch,  which  became  the  mother  church 
of  Gentile  Christianity  (Acts  11 :2o). 

5.  The  immense  success  of  Gentile  missions  forced  a  new  problem 
upon  the  Church,  which  is  the  leading  motive  of  the  earlier  epistles  of 
Paul  (see  esp.  Gal.  2:1-12:  cf.  Acts  15:1,  22).  Were  the  Gentiles  to 
be  received  by  the  Jewish  Christians  without  circumcision  as  brethren 
on  equal  terms?  The  rapid  inflow  of  Gentile  converts  made  the  dif- 
ficulty acute,  for  they  threatened  to  deprive  Jerusalem  and  the  Jewish 
Christians  of  their  preeminence.  Its  solution  is  a  fine  tribute  to  the 
reality  of  their  brotherly  spirit. 


Tbi  Truth 


Study  3:    The  R 


o"  TH.  Aposiouc  Gosm 

'■^e  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


Second  Day  •    Tn„  /- 

T«^Chuhch,n  THE  Roman  EmpxheD.», 
THE  First  Century  ""^"^  Duw,,c 

worid's  life,  not  the  ~m^,  '"'"■  »""-^ins  the  dJ  li    i"  ''°™"  citi- 
'hortly  the  bre threS  "Tlir^K"  '"^s ;  aiS^J  ,7 '"''  £™'"^  of  the 

of'Acha.a,  Macedonia"  (^'c^T /"'  J*"™"  Provinces  ""Th"'  t"'^''  " 
^,^-    The  outbreak  of  v    ,  '^"^  '"  ="=°  '  """  Jfyhnrches 

^'elS-trSS/tS^S-f'-ry  --"«-«  .He 

that  the  rapid  extension  of  th  J  r?  ™l'™  ^"d  tribe  R?v  I'  '''™''  »"•"' 
■mperial  authorities  to  "hre.t/n  ^J""''^''  H^d  for  some  H™;  ''^'  '■*  '^ows 
pro-consul  of  the  laro..    ff*^"  ""e  empire     Pi„X  -'""^  seemed  to  the 


-■""   uic  social 


Thi  Thuth  or  ihi  Apostouc  Gospil 
Study  2:    The  Rise  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


Third  Day:    The  Blending  of  Discrepant  National 
Elements  into  a  New  Unity 

was, admitted  by  the  numerous  proselytes  wh?  from  one  en"^  nf'',h' 

,^'^.n  i^     '  f'"*^-.  ^\''A'  """'  "  have  meant  for  a  Jewish  ChristiVn 
to  call  an  uncircumcised  Gentile  his  brother'     (Gal   21  =?   M„lv  S 

E^ ?.r,1'KsZTr-f^o^n  "J-maT   "obll^^SLaSerH-'fe 

wa^s  a^mJ^  Tf^  i'°  '"l"''  '^'■"''^  '"  "-is  brotherhood     The  C,    .k 
was  a  man   for  whom  the  present  world  meant  a  verv  cre-t  n.^l 

b'^o'.J'ify  a°„VS,Sf  oT''s.r?v?n'S''ref.l^rs7  ''^/l^lfl  ?""  'f^' 

SirpofS^kti^c"^o^"  ?o7ts''li~f  ^^^^^ 

rr^^t.''L''t^ifSrsSif"Lig"haV€"""°"  ™ '^^^^^^ 

gospel  for  a  world  of  sin  would  be  the  heieht  of  follv  l",  r?,,  ,",,    '  ^ 
But  th,s  gospel  struck  seriousness  inro'^many  a   friv^olous  G  eek'*  i 
?i?^   ™/°""'  'J=.8'o'-y  of  the  world  as  of  little  value  filohn' ^ 
15-17).  and  created  in  hm  a  loyalty  to  Christ  ari^  Hi.  v;„„j  J 

::er^x^^a^r3"srs^ck?^SSIi?^^- 


ThI  T.UTH  OF  THE  ApoSTOLIC  GoSPEL 

Study  2:    The  Rise  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


Fourth  Dav:    A  Qtize^sh.p  Worthier  than  that  or 
Rome 

dominant  emp  re,  which  was  in  ,-^™2  ,  '^?  ringing  note  of  the 
pther.  I,  wL  on  the  wK  1  b  neficem  uff  „Sh"'""«J''u'  ""^'O  •"- 
cr-,erved  m  the  midst  of  diversity  and  w^i^^"''"  ."''•"=''  ""''>'  "" 
sa.sl  freedom.  All  the  rights  of  the  rifi™  *°"' /"'"'"'  "P""  P"- 
that  of  appeal  to  the  emocror  hlfnr,  iL-  *"'  safeguarded,  esprcially 
death  (Acts22:28ff)  "  ■*'"«  «°"'-8=<l  or  sentenced  to 

i3?he  dnty'o'f  rhTk^m^an/Jfci'tiS  "Affd'"'"'''  "?*"•  "W-ship 
a.part  of  the  civil  adminisTratfon  ■  The  Tu/  f,""""""".""""  of  religion  is 
cwile."  Thus  any  and  every  rpl?o;:r,V?,  "","•"<">'  »  a  part  of  the  jus 
flict  with  the  ide^l  of  the^^ate  T,^rn«l?'|«  ^hich  ^^  "°'  ""- 
matter  more  of  oublic  lifp  ihan  „{      •  ".  ''oman  re  igion  was  a 

tolerant  of  what-TpSr'i^%'o''1S  tSS S^!  '"^  ^''^  *-  -" 

w|o.  Js'tlTlrlh^'jJLrilsTve'n  'd1,Jn^  'r^"=''  '="  "■'  -P'™^- 
offered  to  his  image  as  to  a  Tod-  Here  kdireJf "°  h  Sacrifices  were 
alternative  faced  the  Christian  He  was  L^ITL^"^-  "'°''  distressing 
of  power,  but  in  so  doing  he  CMsed  to  4  »  Vnli  -r^'""  ^""^^  '<'o'«fy 
allegiance  to  the  geni-s  of  the  world  wiH,  J?^'  "',,'""  ^""^  enounced 
empire  of  Rome.  The  unseen  KinldZ  of  Cn/"  '^.0^''°''-  '«"'ficent 
ship  of  Jesus  Christ  must  have  anSerf  ,„  t-^""*  "l'  '"P"™'  'ord- 
power,  before  he  would  allow  hTmself  to  be.on,™  ",'?''  °«™astering 
of  "the  victorious  West  in  crown  and  sw^rd^rr'"  3'.'.'"J5?  ""^  '"'?'" 
Jesus  with  its  conditions  of  emrance  into  the  YL^'J''-  Xi'  Kospei  of 
would  arouse  the  scorn  of  the  Rnm,„  i5  '""?<iora  (Matt.  5:3,  s) 
life."    But  writing  from  RoSe  ,oTchurTh1n'a'?'^''H'"  1"  '•",  >'^'  "^ 

mt^^:'^!'' «'°-  Of '^i^f  SutTs/sTn-ir^a  i^^ 

In^he'^SS.yjo^^d  ThWoS  i«p^Tt?e"aJ^et  *?"%""."  ""■'"''• 
h7uXnron''sia^l:lXo-f,<'dS°-'^^^^ 
fretted  by  civilizatio^     But  ou    of  all  IheT"  °^  y"."-'"^  worship  and 
world,  whose  laws  and  ideals  were  baTed  n„  ™,^".  '^^•9'"^  an  inner 
a  comm-n  Lord.    (See  especiany  Col  3  l  ,"  T        '"""  ""''  '""  '° 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostouc  Gospel 


Study  2:    The  Rise  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


Fifth  Day:    Recruited  from  Every  Rank  in  Society 


1.  Moreover,  every  rank  of  society  contributed  its  share  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  new  brotherhood.  We  may  assume  that  the  church  of 
Corinth  represents  the  averaRc  Pauline  community,  for  it  was  in  a 
most  cosmopolitan  city  with  a  promiscuous  population  attracted  thither 
by  trade.  A  hint  of  its  character  is  given  in  i  Cor.  i  :26.  Though  there 
may  not  have  been  many  high-born  nor  influential  Christians,  it  is  im- 
probable that  the  majority  were  drawn  from  the  very  poor  or  the  slave 
class,  the  largest  element  belonging,  it  would  appear,  to  the  intelligent 
middle  class  engaged  in  the  ordinary  business  concerns  of  life.  Pro- 
fessor Ramsay  thmks  that  the  standard  of  intelligence  and  education 
would  reach  a  high  average.  Other  epistles  pre-suppose  similar  condi- 
tions. James  2 : 2-8  shows  a  church  with  commingled  elements  of  rich 
and  poor,  i  Peter  2:18;  Eph.  6:svf.  address  readers  many  of  whom 
were  slaves. 

2.  But  there  are  examples  afforded  in  the  New  Testament  of  con- 
verts from  among  the  well-to-do  and  even  high-born  classes.  Colossae 
had  Philemon.  At  Corinth  itself  not  only  the  city  treasurer  (Rom.  16; 
23),  but  other  tr>za  of  standing  were  leaders  in  the  church  (i  Cor.  16: 
15;  I  :i4.  15)-  For  the  church  at  Antioch  see  Acts  13:  i ;  and  one  of  the 
few  at  Athens  was  a  member  of  the  court  of  Areopagus  (Acts  17:34). 
It  is  not  unlikely  that  through  the  imprisonment  of  Paul  (Phil.  1:13) 
the  gospel  reached  royal  circles,  for  Mommsen  asserts  that  in  the  first 
century  Christianity  had  no  firmer  hold  anywhere  than  in  the  imperial 
court. 

3.  This  is  also  borne  out  by  the  witness  of  the  Catacombs.  Many 
of  the  earliest  were  connected  with  the  noblest  families  in  Rome.  The 
Acilii,^.  g.,  whose  gardens  and  villa  on  the  Pincian  hill  were  almost 
royal  in  their  magnificence,  were  probably  Christians,  for  "a  beautiful 
hypogaeum  of  the  second  century  in  the  very  heart  of  Priscilla's  ceme- 
tery containing  the  tombstone  of  Manius  Acilius  Verus  and  Acilia 
Priscilla,  son  and  daughter  of  Manius  Acilius  Glabrio,  consul  A.  D.  152, 
proves  that  the  'noblest  among  the  noble'  had  CtTibraced  our  faith  from 
the  first  announcement  of  the  gospel  in  Rome"  (Lanciani,  "Ruins  and 
Excavations  of  Ancient  Rome,"  page  422!).  Possibly  Pamponia 
Graecina,  wife  of  the  conqueror  of  Britain,  was  a  Christian,  and  it  seems 
probable  that  Flavins  Clemens,  the  consul,  cousin  of  the  Emperor 
Domitian,  was  put  to  death,  and  his  wife.  Domitilla,  Domitian's  niece, 
banished  because  they  had  espoused  the  faith.  Surely  there  were  few 
truer  disciples  or  more  obedient  to  the  demands  of  the  gospel  than 
these  (Mark  10:22,  25-31). 


Study  2:    The  Rise  of 


a  New  Brotherhood 


Sixth  Day:    The  A^^^ 
Z-    The  world  in  »,h;„i,  n  ■  ""k  at  the  world"? 


Th»  Truth  of  th«  Aposiouc  Gospil 


Study  2:    The  Rise  of  a  New  Brotherhood 


Seventh  Day  :    The  King  of  Love  and  His  City 

I.    "Christianity  abhors  isolation."     Love  is  its  esspn.-p    tV,r  1™,.  ;. 

H  f'n^.Ir.  ■^\'^'''i™^f  '  "■  '"Visible,  and  the  proof  that  we  posses" 
His  nature  is  the  .ntiwelhng  in  us  of  His  Spirit,  impcllins  us  fo  Iovp 
our  brethren  Love  is  the  antithesis  of  selfishnes™arX4 ■,,-,/) 
Such  love  of  the  brethren  was  a  new  phenomenon  in  the  world 'bLcauie 
M.  M)  "  ""  "''™P"'=  '"=  of  aid's   SoT  [john   "3 : 

2.  The  brotherhood  was  not  merely  a  new  ethical  sm-iVtu  ^h^.. 
members  practised  love  to  one  another  True  it  was  th^t  thev  o^  v 
could  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  who  did  ^"commands  Bm 
h  r  sTnTT.  Pe.:;7frfo",''\''"^h"'";  j!^"  ?'l^-  '°  --"em  fr^om 
aSio'n"l/n'd  fo^Yl  dis'.fnS'ons 'p"ast  ^w^  ^  ToS'lZT  JJe'  S'sS 
who  first  loved  them  became  the  Person  who  welded  t'heSt^eeXr 

g;tfc;,^^K^aftS'\r»^^^^i7iSS!: 

^^h^^iplt^iZ,':-!^^^,^  as  gat 

^n™v  «i  tfc  \'  ""  ^'"  "''T  i'  ^'"^  l'^'^"  accustomed  to  re«rd  a"fhe 
enemy  of  the  human  race;  the  Roman  met  the  lyinK  Greek  Sinhi ft  Ihl 

etcrofhnT''?^|^cce"H';^-t"*^^e^.ir"  "-"  -""  "o  Sfd '^Sr.'S 


T"T.„,„o,„.A«.ToucGo.m 


Study 


A  Fellowship  of  Love  to  Christ 


A  Common  Life 

-"-ere.  --"^.i?rr^-?r<S;i;t,og^| 

2.    Baptism.     Each   n      k 

'■'3.  U).    But  its  rlfj-*    •    ?J  ""inal  salvation 7^ f^""   ('^"'  2:38. 
f^ki       ^^  common  meal     Pn.    n 


Thi  Tbuth  or  the  Akstolic  Gospil 


Study  3:    A  Fellowship  of  Love  to  Christ 


Second  Day:    Fellowship,  HosniALiTV,  Correspondence 

1.  Fellowship.  Thil  word  occurs  frequently  in  the  New  Testament 
to  cover  all  that  may  be  included  in  an  intercourse  touching  every  phase 
of  social  and  religious  life.  In  the  early  chapters  of  Acts  we  have  the 
Christian  ideal  01  fellowship,  which  is  no  communism  expressed  in 
doctrinaire  regulations,  but  springs  from  a  love  both  willing  to  share 
with  and  receive  from  others  (Acts  2:44-47;  4:34-37).  Paul  gave  his 
readers  special  instructions  to  care  for  the  poor  (l  Cor.  13:3;  Gal.  a: 
10).  The  third  gospel  also  seems  to  emphasize  the  sympathy  of  Jesus 
for  the  poor  (Luke  19:8)  whose  example  would  be  closely  followed  by 
the  brethren.  This  fellowship,  however,  meant  more  than  relief  of  want. 
It  was  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  inducing  brotherly  kindness  (l  John 
<t;7,  8,  11;  Heb.  13:16),  the  joy  of  intercourse  between  kindred  minds 
in  spiritual  concerns  (Gal.  2:9),  or  a  common  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  (Phil.  I  -.3-5).  It  bound  all  Christians  together  in 
a  way  that  social  needs  or  physical  wants  could  never  have  done.  But 
this  fellowship  was  not  only  local,  it  embraced,  as  we  shall  see,  the 
Church  of  God  in  all  lands. 

2.  Hospitality.  Those  were  days  of  much  traveling.  Under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Roman  government  the  fine  highways  were  thronged  by 
commercial  men,  officials,  students  attending  the  universities,  traveling 
physicians,  lecturers.  The  crowds  were  in  fact  as  motley  as  in  our 
Western  world.  As  the  century  grew  many  Christians  would  mingle 
in  the  throng— some  on  business  or  pleasure,  many  in  haste  to  spread 
the  message  of  the  kingdom.  For  Aquila  and  Priscilla's  journeys  see 
I  Cor.  16:19;  Rom.  16:3;  Acts  18:2,  26.  Other  glimpses  of  the  great 
movement  to  and  fro  among  the  churches  are  afforded  by  the  saluta- 
tions with  which  Paul's  letters  so  often  close,  and  the  greetings  in  other 
epistles  (Rom.  16;  Phil.  4:  21,  22;  Heb.  13:2.  24).  Hospitality  was  in 
that  hostile  world  a  fine  Christian  grace,  the  missionaries  especially  being 
s«  a  rule  gladly  welcomed  (3  John  5-10). 

3.  Correspondence.  Missionaries  or  messengers  often  brought  letters 
from  the  apostles  or  from  cJ  irch  to  church  (Phil.  2: 19.  25).  which  were 
read  in  gatherings  of  the  orethren.  and  served  to  weld  together  the 
sundered  parts  of  the  Christian  body  (2  Cor.  3:1;  Col.  4 :  16). 

Thus  the  bond  uniting  these  brethren  was  not  the  system  of  a  school 
of  thought,  nor  any  external  organization,  but  the  common  fellowship 
of  a  large  family,  a  household  of  faith,  with  its  earthly  sign-manual 
in  common  love,  common  hopes,  and  mutual  help  (Gal.  6-lo-  i  Peter 
2:9.  10). 


Th.  T.uih  or  iHi  AMiTOLic  Goim 


Study  3:    A  Fellowship  of  Love  to  Ch 


nst 


Th:«o  Dav:    T„.  New  Testament  Pass.o»  ,0.  Umrv 

man,dou,  glory  of  ,he  oT>„7Zl^''Sch'J'l  ""'l^P'''"  ^ 

"jy  personal  intercourse  be  honerf  .„  j    '  ^'    ■'•  '4    9:1-4.  6,  ?.  12  iaV 
t.ons  in  a  common  sympathv     Th^.^'^^T"  Prejudice  and  unif;  all  «c 


The  Truth  or  the  Apoitouc  Gospel 


Study  3:  A  Fellowship  of  Love  to  Christ 


Fourth   Day:    Brotuers  in   a   \e\v   Family:    Disciples 


I.  The  members  of  the  "Household  of  Faith"  were  "brothers." 
Their  head  was  Jesns  Christ,  now  absent  from  them  in  the  body,  but 
present  in  their  midst  by  His  Spirit  (Heb.  2:11;  3:6;  Matt.  38:20). 
Orphans  Jn  an  evil  world  these  brethren  drew  together  seeking  to  obey 
the  commands  of  their  unseen  Lord  by  living  in  love  with  one  another 
(John  14:15-18;  15:18,  19).  They  arc  brothers  by  reason  of  a  higher 
kinship  than  that  of  blood,  their  Master  having  warned  his  followers 
that  they  might  have  to  sacrifice  earthly  relationships  in  order  to  gain 
higher  privileges,  for  fellowship  in  the  circle  of  those  early  brethren 
bro'ight  a  keenness  of  joy  that  few  if  any  had  ever  experienced  in  earthly 
homts  (Matt.  13:49.  50;  Mark  10:38-31). 

3.  Ill  accordance  with  this  Christianity  was  a  house  religion.  The 
gatherings  of  the  brethren  were  held  in  the  homes  of  the  weahhier  mem- 
bers, who  probably  not  only  gave  the  use  of  their  rooms  but  supplied 
meals  for  the  poorer  among  them  and  the  slaves  (i  Cor.  16: 15:  Col.  4: 
15;  Philem.  a).  Under  cover  of  night  they  would  come  to  their  lovc- 
feast — a  slave  perchance  snatching  an  hour  from  his  harsh  owner,  or  a 
whilom  Jewish  family  rich  in  spiritual  inheritance  but  poor  in  this 
world's  goods,  even  a  Roman  centurion,  grave  but  contented  in  aspect, 
accompanied  by  a  soldier  of  his  band.  To-night  perhaps  they  come  with 
eager  interest,  for  yonder  sits  a  man  small  of  stature  but  kt-en  of  eye, 
though  furrowed,  and  he  bears  the  marks  of  hardship  and  is  branded 
even  on  his  face  with  wounds.  Paul  it  is  who  presides  at  the  feast. 
Trouble  and  the  world  are  left  outside.  The  door  swings  in  on  a  court 
of  peace.  Each  was  supposed  to  share  his  brother's  burdens  (Gal.  6:2; 
James  5:16,  19,  20).  But  was  it  always  so?  In  i  Cor.  6:1-8;  James 
4 : 1-4  we  discover  that  dashes  of  dark  color  would  often  tone  the  idyllic 
brightness  of  the  picture. 

3.  Another  common  term  in  the  Gospels  and  Acts  for  those  who  be- 
lieved in  Jesus  is  "Disciple"  (Acts  6:1;  9:38;  11:26;  3i:i6).  This 
suggests  the  time  when  Jesus  was  in  Galilee  and  called  upon  men  to 
follow  Him.  ft  seems  to  have  been  a  commoner  title  among  the  Jewish 
Christians,  some  of  whom  were  His  personal  disciples,  than  among 
Gentiles,  to  whom  He  had  first  been  made  known  as  the  risen  Lord. 
Yet  all  were  in  a  sense  disciples  of  Jesus,  for  He  was  the  living  Lord 
of  every  Christian,  and  the  old  commandment,  "follow  me,"  was  new 
with  each  generation  of  believers  who  sought  "to  walk  even  as  He 
walked"  (i  John  2:6^8;  i  Peter  3:21). 


Thi  T.uth  or  TMi  Antnuc  Gem 
Study  3:  A  Fellowship  of  Love  to  Ch 


rist 


"Salnl 


FithDav:    Smnt.  Slave,  C„r«t,ak. 


^!li^SlSyi 


»    J'    /    ""^^   *n<y  also  calU^   ".L        I   ""  V^'^^'^'itea  10  the 

"cVy7hi„V;o' ciSt^^Jc'i'^sf "  '°,"""^'  fcy'w.  h«<S,l '"'1 

«or.a  (,  p::i;'^l!t.^T';3  t^^f^!::,•j|^.  N^n^;^^!!;- 

3     "Slave"    Th'  rt^.ij). 

rvtn  in  Gal.  5 :  i .  •  6  •  i,  "' •??■,  ^V"  'hij  slavery  gallina'    An  .,,.      "!' 
3  '1.0. If.    Tht  mil  of  God  i.  no  yokifif.k  ."'*"' " 

' '     ■  '  ""'■.3':  Matt.  16:16,  18  we 


sHSiillililgl 


of  thV  ri^inrCoS'.'rdrh''"""'''''"'"'  'h'  J"" 


Tai  T>VTii  or  tmi  AnMnuc  Gotni. 
Study  3:  A  Fellowship  of  Lo  e  to  Christ 


Sixth  Day:    The  Body  of  Christ,  th«  Chuicm,  the  New 
Israel 

I.  Therr  were  in  that  brotherhood  two  complementary  tendenciei, 
titrui'im  and  individualiim,  which  when  leparated  have  often  done  harm. 
The  Chriitian  was  not  a  hermit  leeliing  10  lave  hii  own  soul  apart  from 
hii  fellowi,  nor  was  he  an  insignificant  atom  lost  in  the  fellowship  at 
Urge.  He  was  a  brother  among  brethren,  a  saint  among  the  elect,  a  sub- 
ject in  the  kingdom,  a  member  of  the  body  of  Christ,  a  citizen  of  the 
true  Iirael  ( I  Peter  3:4-10). 

a.  Several  terms  were  applied  to  the  whole  fellowship  of  believers. 
Of  these  Paul  often  uses  "the  Body  of  Christ."  (See  especially  i  Cor. 
ia:l»fr.;  cf.  Eph.  4:11-16.)  Christ  is  the  Head  from  whom  life  per- 
vades the  organism,  the  well-being  of  the  whole  depending  on  the  well- 
being  even  of  the  smallest  part.  Thus  the  Christian  churches  were  not 
loosely  articulated  societies,  but  spiritual  organisms  united  in  common 
life  from  the  living  Christ. 

3.  This  ideal  body  is  often  called  "the  Church."  It  was  no  abstract 
term,  but  was  partially  realized  all  over  the  Roman  Empire  in  com- 
munities, whose  members  were  supplied  by  the  Holy  Spirit  with  gifts 
(l  Cor.  12:1-11;  I  Peter  4:10).  Does  the  New  Testament  put  the 
primary  emphasis  on  the  redemption  of  the  Chv-ch  as  a  whole,  or  the 
individual?  How  is  the  individual  related  (o  the  body?  (.M.'.''.  16: 
16-19;  18:15-17;  Acts  2o:i8;  Eph.  4:11-13;  5:35-27.) 

4.  This  new  creation  did  not  rise  upon  the  world  unheralded  and  un- 
related to  the  past.  There  has  been  only  one  house  which  God  has  been 
building  through  the  ages.  Long  ago  were  the  patriarchs,  Moses  and 
the  prophets,  who  ministered  in  more  primitive  and  lesser  rooms  while 
the  national  Israel  was  God's  chosen  people  (Heb.  1:1:3: 1-6).  Earthly 
Israel,  however,  proved  unfaithful :  it  rejected  its  Messiah  (John  i : 
11-13)  ;  wherefore  God  hath  rejected  the  nation  as  such  (Luke  20: 
9-19)  ;  but  a  Inly  kernel  survives,  those  who  accepted  Jesus  as  Messiah, 
and  has  now  been  served  heir  to  the  promises.  The  brotherhood  be- 
comes "the  new  Israel,"  the  true  house  of  God.  The  faithful  Gentile 
is  the  real  Son  of  Abraham,  the  true  Israelite,  most  glorious  of  names 
to  a  Jew  (Gal.  3:7;  6:16;  i  Peter  2:9,  10).  Of  what  magni- 
tude and  order  must  those  brethren  have  conceived  Christ  to  be,  when 
He  entered  like  a  new  planet  into  their  world  system,  and  could  com- 
pel the  Jew  out  of  his  old  national  orbit  into  the  sweep  of  spiritual 
powers  in  a  new  realm? 


Th£  T.cth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  3:  A  Fellowship  of  Lo 


ve  to  Christ 


Seventh  Day: 


The  Kingdom  OF  THE  Son  OF  His  Love 


Thi  TliUTH  OP  THE  ApoSTOLIC  GoSPEL 


Study  4:    The  Hope  '     the  Brotherhood 


First  Day:    A  i'. 


OF  Values 


1.  A  ruling  conviction  of  the  brotherhood  was  that  the  unseen  world 
IS  of  overwhelming  importance  as  compared  with  the  present.  It  is 
the  world  of  realities ;  this  world  is  a  world  of  shadows,  and  with  its 
ambitions  and  false  desires  is  passing  away  (Heb.  2:5;  11 13;  2  Cor  5- 
l;  1  John  2:17).  Though  believers  live  on  eartn,  their  true  citizenship 
IS  in  heaveii  (Phil.  3:20,  21;  i  Thess.  2:12),  and  that  glorious  in- 
heritance IS  being  kept  for  them,  as  they  also  are  being  guarded  for  it  in 
the  midst  of  the  temptations  and  sufferings  of  the  present  (t  Peter  l: 

2.  In  view  of  this  transcendent  world  to  which  the  believer  is  heir 
his  present  distress  may  well  be  endured  (Rom.  8:  i8ff.)  until  he  reaches 
the  new  Jerusalem  whose  glory  even  now  rises  above  the  shock  of  con- 
flict (Kev.  21:  If).  There  was  among  these  brethren  a  heroic  indif- 
ference to  the  worst  that  the  world  could  do.  What  though  they  are 
plundered  of  their  goods?  (Heb.  10:34.)  Are  they  the  sport  of  men 
and  of  angels,  the  refuse  of  the  world?  (i  Cor.  4:9,  11-13.)  Nothing 
can  shake  their  bold  confidence  in  God,  for  their  future  is  assured  (Rom 
li:i!i).  Indeed,  trial  is  a  joy,  affliction  a  purifying  fire  (James  1:2; 
I  feter  1:6,  7)-  Tossed  though  they  are  on  a  sea  of  troubles  in  this 
present  world  they  cannot  drift,  for  their  hope,  an  anchor  that  will  not 
snap,  IS  plunged  into  the  unseen  depths  and  holds  them  firm  to  irremov- 
able realities  (Heb  6: 19,  20).  This  faith  had  been  verified  by  the  pres- 
ence m  their  midst  of  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  (Heb.  6:5)' 

3-  Their  triumph  over  death  was  a  proof  of  the  intensity  of  their 
hope.  I  he  popular  mind  was  enslaved  by  terror  of  death,  but  Jew  or 
Oentile,  philosopher  or  unlearned,  when  he  had  once  discovered  eternal 
•  iV?*"  Christ,  cast  from  him  his  fear  and  faced  the  unseen  with 
joy  (Heb.  2:14,  15-  I  Cor.  15:55;  i  John  4:17,  18).  De.ith  is  drowned 
m  an  ocean  of  life  (2  Cor.  5:4),  for  the  individual  will  exchange  his 
present  mortality  for  a  glorious  tenement  which  is  awaiting  him  even 
now  in  heaven  (2  Cor.  5:1.  2). 


35 


The  T„;th  of  the  Aposrot.c  Gospel 


Study  4:    The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


Second  Day  :    The  Risen  Christ  t„.  « 

"-"R'ST  THE  Heart  of  Their 
Hope 

take  Rev.  1:13  18  as  fZ    •"■""""""'  ^er  this  world  ,nH  ^''°"«'' 
°f  "en  in  eternal^i^  '(Vev^Vf,,'?.'  I-""  -^o  wi"  she'?hefd"ilfe"sS 

the  vision  of  the  ChrisHl,^  I ^""^  '?  <^''"«  ■'""s  (    PeleJ',^,M   "''3 

immmm 


26 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  4:    Th.    Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


Third  Day  :    The  Fullness  of  Life  in  the  Glorious 
Company  of  the  Saints 

ti  '■  J  The  coming  kingdom  is  not  a  realm  like  the  present,  for  flesh  and 
blood  shall  not  inherit  it  (l  Cor,  15:50).  There  shall  be  ;.  new  body 
suited  to  the  .iritual  sphere,  like  unto  the  glorious  body  of  the  risen 
Christ  (I  Cor.  15:23,  44,  49).  No  human  tongue  can  describe  the 
grandeur  of  that  future  (l  Cor  2:6-9).  I-  1eed  this  salvation  engaged 
the  at  ention  of  inspired  men  of  old  (I  P..^r  1:10-12),  and  at  present 
the  believer  has  only  a  foretaste  of  the  final  salvation  (Eph.  I  :I4). 

2.  But  in  that  future,  the  new  Canaan,  the  Rest  of  God  (Heb.  4:0- 
12:22),  believers  shall  be  pure  and  spotless,  each  possessing  his  own 
unique  salvation  (Jude  24).  Will  there  be  growth  in  that  world'  It 
seems  to  be  implied  in  Matt.  5 :  48 ;  2  Cor.  3 :  18 ;  Eph.  4 :  13 ;  i  John  3 : 2. 

3- .  Each  will  be  perfect  in  all.  Just  as  on  earth  no  disciple  could 
cherish  the  true  life  apart  from  fellowship  with  his  brethren  (i  John 
4:1.2,  20,  21),  so  in  the  heavenly  city  the  glory  of  believers  is  an  in- 
heritance among  the  saints.  It  will  be  fullness  of  life  because  there  will 
be  perfect  fellowship  of  love  between  Father,  Son  and  brethren  (Heb 
12:22-24;  f  John  1:3,  4;  Eph.  i:i8V  The  eternal  Church  of  God  will 
be  a  magnificent  unity  compos'  1  nfinite  variety,  each  pe..'-ct  life  of 
the  organism  flashing  forth  like  •  '  its  ray  of  light,  as  a  share  of  the 
glorious  radiance  streaming  fror  .ole  Body  of  Christ  to  illuminate 

riJ Jc°„f '.h'^  the  oncoming  age:  .„.  a  knowledge  of  the  marvelous 
♦iu  Jt  "'?,,^'^<'om  of  God  (tph.  2:7;  3:10;  4:13-16).  Moreover, 
this  glory  will  emancipate  all  creation,  which  is  straining  its  eye  for  the 
advent  of  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God  (Rom.  8 fig). 

3.  In  the  gospels  also  we  find  the  same  hope  for  the  future  thoueh 
many  of  the  aspects  of  the  kingdom  which  they  contain  are  concerned 
,Yn!r,r  ,\'"'?^l'."  i"  '''^P'-esent  world.  However,  the  present  is  lived 
under  the  light  of  the  future,  and  it  is  diflicult  to  say  whether  Jesus 
lays  more  stress  on  one  than  on  the  other.  The  blessedness  of  the 
coming  kingdom  is  pictured  as  a  banquet  at  which  there  will  be  a  goodly 
fellowship  of  patriarchs  and  prophets  (Luke  13:28;  14: 15;  22-18  w) 
Similar  conceptions  appear  in  the  fourth  gospel,  where  (14— 16)  the 
believer  is  promised  perfect  communion  with  his  Lord  in  an  eternal 
neaveniy  home. 


27 


Tm  TtuTH  or  TB.  Aposiouc  Gospil 


Study  4:    The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


FousihDav:    The  Return  of  Jesus 

the  most  familial  is  "Parousia  "  "pUln   ' "'  ^'li.'  ^'tus  2:1?)      #„, 
23;  James  5:7;,  Joh„  2  jS?'    Thf.  1  ""'    ""^    Coming"  (i  t or   ,c 
general  employment  ''    ^''"  '"'  *°f<l  seems  to  have  iSen  in 

l.'n^5v""Ss™nVaLrfo\'  &„="-  of  a  mighty  conflict 
earth  to  judge  the  ivine  and  th^HrLj      7'  ^"."^  ''=""'■■'  n  glory  to  this 

2=r  is'heS/SS^"^"^^.^^^  i^Pi^S! 

Prejation  of  Passages  "like  ."rhe  s   4',?-  '",=  'J"  °"'^  "asonable  i„« 
Heb.  ,0:37;  James  5:7:  ,  PeteH-.f  tVn  ^"[g.-'^Rel'/ai*"^-  '^^"  = 


28 


Till  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospu. 


Study  4:    The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


Fifth  Day:     Phases  of  Belief  in  the  Return  of  Jesus 

„i\h  "^^'^  '^""/1°  *?'*  ''""  ^  gradual  development  in  the  conception 
ot  the  Lhurch  of  the  first  century  as  to  the  return  of  Jesus.  At  first 
while  the  brethren  were  a  sect  of  Judaism,  they  had  no  thought  of  carri  - 
mg  he  gospel  to  the  wider  Gentile  world,  but  hoped  that  their  people 
would  repent  and  prove  themselves  to  be  the  true  Israel  (Acts  3 :  ig-ji ) 
Not  till  then  would  the  Lord  return  to  dwell  on  earth  among  a  holy 
people.  But  experience  soon  proved  that  Israel  according  to  the  flesh 
would  not  repent,  and  that  even  as  they  had  put  Messiah  to  death  they 
would  also  pcrijcute  His  growing  kingdom  (Acts  7:51-53). 

J.    Then  came  the  expansion  of  the  Church  to  the  Gentile  world 
opening  up  a  vista  of  wide  conquests  to  be  made  for  the  risen  Christ! 

X?J„  •  1"  ""'?.'!!  'l"^"^"  ^.'"'  "'1'°'  ""°  'he  thick  of  the  heathen 
powers  in  league  with  the  world-god.  Christ  was  with  her.  His  Spirit 
was  going  before  her  so  evidently  that  she  thought  less  than  formerly 
°f  ."'s  personal  return  to  the  earth.  The  missionaries  were  doinit  His 
bidding  m  rairymg  this  gospel  to  the  world  (Mark  13:10),  at  first 
probably  without  any  active  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  governments. 
But  the  promise  of  the  return  was  never  forgotten. 

t,l^'  Ja'H  P^'fJ'i?"  ''"H  Ro™  as  well  as  Jerusalem  became  hos- 
tile, and  the  awful  hatred  of  the  world  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  was 
revealed.  How  car  the  victorious  Son  brook  such  evil  so  long'  was  the 
question  on  many  a  lip.  Maran-atha.  a  cry  for  relief,  was  the  prayer  of 
many  a  heart.  But  it  is  probable  that  as  persecution  waxed  or  waned  if 
brought  :nto  distinctness  or  allowed  to  grow  dim  for  a  time  this  convic- 
that  earl    Ch"    h"'  "         ""*  ''*"'^'  °"  ""  ''°"'^™-''''«  of  "1=  li'e  o' 

f,;?;„  ly'"}  "'^^''"-  of  Jerusalem  in  7c  A.  D.,  the  danger  to  the  Church 
from  the  Jew  diminished,  but  the  Roman  Empire  became  a  worse  foe 
(see  Revelation).  By  the  end  of  the  century  Antichrist  is  not  a  national 
but  a  spiritual  power— those  who  deny  that  Jesus  is  the  true  Son  of  God 

,i„.  f„  M  •  l--''^^,:.-^",/"'.'".'-  ''''  ""=  ■''"'^l  era*'"  'hat  the  time  is 
ripe  for  destruction.  Finally,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  fourth  gospel 
enlarges  upon  the  return  of  Jesus  in  the  Paradete,  while  the  thought  of 
tne  immediate  personal  appearing  has  become  less  central 


I'uE  Truiu  or  luE  ArosTOLic  Gusiu. 
Study  4:    The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


Sixth  Day  :    A  Misinterpretation  and  Its  Blessing 

purged  awa,,,  they  in  erpJe  id  Christ's  sayi,^«  as  to  h'^,  "°,'  '"°?,^'\' 

vallevof  their  Jewish  national  iifV,l^io,/•,.'^^  ■  ^'™«  '"  'he  small 
striking  throng-'hTnd  illS  i'ig  thei^^o'L'^'hS^:  "tu.'T,  ""  '"" 
to  be  the  Sav  bur  of  the  world  and  Hi«^„i,^  In  ■  •"'  -"P"'  "^^ 
pelled  the  clouds,  when  the  &lesfS,nH.v.=    """""'"'"«  "'™  <•"- 

fc«^ffi/i^siS£SSf  ^"  -" 

terrible  odds  and  won     Thft  ^7^1    ,h™  ^  '""*■,  '!i°  ""y  f""!  "« 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  4:    The  Hope  of  the  Brotherhood 


Seventh  Day:    The  Permanent  Truth  of  the  Chris- 
tian's Hope 

1.  The  effect  of  the  expectation  of  the  speedy  return  of  Jesus  upon 
the  life  of  the  primitive  believers  has  often  been  exaggerated.  Though 
in  some  quarters  this  hope  led  to  undue  enthusiasm  under  the  influence 
of  which  men  began  to  abandon  their  daily  pursuits,  this  was  sporadic 
(2  Thcss.  2:  J ;  3: 10,  11),  and  there  was  on  the  whole  a  wonderful  moral 
balance  in  that  early  Church.  Such  a  belief  must  have  somewhat  af- 
fected the  conditions  of  society  and  its  ideals,  but  no  more  permanent 
condition  of  uncertainty  was  introduced  for  the  individual  than  fa.es 
every  man  now  in  the  fact  of  the  unknown  day  of  his  death.  And  society 
itself  was  regenerated  just  by  the  men  who  cherished  these  hopes.  They 
did  not  disregard  their  present  duties,  nor  become  ascetics.  On  the  con- 
trary they  wrought  into  practice  the  most  perfect  and  sane  code  of 
morals  for  a  life  under  ordinary  conditions  in  this  world  that  has  ever 
been  known.  The  reason  was  that  equally  important  with  the  promise 
of  Christ's  return,  if  indeed  it  was  not  more  so,  was  His  command  to 
obey  Him  (John  14:15-21),  and  the  shortnejs  of  life  did  not  prevent  its 
being  a  field  of  discipline  for  character. 

2.  But  in  truth  the  time  element  was  not  the  most  important  part  of 
their  hope.  The  Christians  knew  that  they  had  actually  been  transferred 
out  of  darkness  into  the  Kingdom  of  the  Son  of  God's  love  (Col.  i :  13). 
Already  they  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  was  to 
them  an  overwhelming  proof  of  the  value  and  reality  of  the  other  world 
(i  Peter  1:12;  Eph.  1:13.  14;  Heb.  6:4.  5;  i  John  4:13).  Their  spiritual 
experience  was  as  real  a  proof  to  them  of  the  existence  of  the 
heavenly  city  as  their  sense  ejcperience  was  of  the  reality  of  the  present 
seen  world  (Heb.  11:1-3).  That  real  world  was  separated  from  the 
present  by  a  mere  handbreadth,  and  the  curtain  must  soon  rise  and  dis- 
close its  glory.  This  remains  the  permanent  truth  of  our  hope  also. 
The  present  earthly  scene  is  of  short  duration.  Even  here  we  have  eter- 
nal life,  but  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

3.  So  the  judgments  of  men  were  reversed.  Paul  gives  the  Chris- 
tian view  in  i  Cor.  2:6-16;  2  Cor.  4:4.  These  brethren  did  not  appraise 
their  worldly  goods  at  small  value  because  they  were  of  short  tenure, 
but  because  they  had  the  mind  of  Christ  and  knew  that  they  were  in- 
herently of  little  worth.  They  wished  to  save  their  life  (Mark  8:34-38), 
and  their  treasure  and  heart  were  both  secure  beyond  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  present  (Matt.  6:19-21).  It  was  not  only  a  few  philosophic 
minds  who  enjoyed  such  serene  confidence.  Buoyancy  pervaded  the 
brotherhood.  Why  did  they  place  such  enormous  value  on  the  unseen 
world?  Whence  came  this  matchless  hope,  this  faith  that  subdued  an 
empire? 

31 


Th.  Tiuih  of  ihc  Awsiouc  Gosfh. 


Study  5:   The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Broth 


erhood 


F.-T  D.v:    M,«.cuu,.s  Pow«s  Accompa.v  .so  Fuow 
raoM  THE  Preaching  of  the  Gospel 


l!?'?™"'-    It  broke  tonh"^n'b°m»Zi'[iZ"^X'"''>f  °t  ^^'  ^'^ 
Sp.r.t,  which  was  a  confirmation  toThemh J  r^^'u''"  ^/,°'  ""=  Holy 


of  the  coming  Messianic  agi  They  Ire  Tni^^Z-^^^  "'7  ""  P<>*"s 
fe"-  "hereby  they  have  t  viv  d  /xpcrie^ce  of  Vh' "'">  °' 'V'""' °' 
f^'b  *'5>-  S'"^  '"^o  bad  large  evMence  of  JJ^'  ''^^  '""'^  ^y°"'i 
mg  h,s  preaching  (,  Thess.  i  :f-  Gal  vO  C'"^ '.?'"'  a«ompany. 
dinary  display  of  energy  welled  forth'' frn„  ''"''  ""=  ^™«  wtraor- 
from  Jerusalem  to  Illyricum  th,  fV^iT  °"  "'J^  «™"P  of  believers 
before  writing  the  'e.t'er';o";U''5oman's"(RX',']'f,i^';"  •'^''  "'^""^ 

The  fe-'"'^?'tbe™venrafa^'dtY/v  '^y^^^''  "™""''"  ""«"»" 

a  dead,  unrelated  fact,  bufaS  ^^^i^^^S!,  .^i^^-U'  "°' 
en^d"^th"'s?m'^'•sp'Sfi.'„\1,^r"S■-  Church  it  »'??'<'  ^P^'"-  was 
came  from  God,  who  granted  each  »m,n-«". *?"=  ^J^^  *"«  'hey  all 
for  the  common  good  (7  Co?  i/".  ^  "'^"■'"'ation  of  the  same  spirit 
might  be  used, for  edificati™  intlieir^  common  "'.^'.l''?'  ™'^  ^"^h  as 
faith,  'tongues."  interpretation  of  th  s  «rTX  Satherings-prophecv, 
criminate  prophetic  utterance  h,,f  ,hlJ  ^'  'P'='=h.  ability  to  di^- 
m.raculous  powers  The  nr^';„  ^"'  ?'.'"  w°rks  of  healing  and 
values.  Greek  as  he  was  he  ?e«3  Corinthian  had  a  wrong  s^leof 
dwelling  God.  and  win"  to  eS  fn  'thusiasm  as  a  token  ofThe  in- 
which  often  degenerated  into  fren'iM  ,^,  1'?  "'  ""  8"*  °'  tongues, 
congregation.  Paul  discountenance  X?'^"'»  'ons,  unintelligible  to  the 
power  (I  Cor.  14 -1-2?)     AH  Tf"  "T""'^  °'  =   «*>   spiritual 

ofthebrolherho<i(i'Veter]',^"/o"'"^h?,U   T"'."^'"  '"  'he 's/rv^e 
kmgdom.  *■  '"■  "'■    '  his  is  a  fundamental  law  of  the 


Thk  Truth  or  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  5.  The    Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Secono  Day  :    A  Constant  FJelief  Throughout  the  \evv 
Testament 

L  ?i  ^  t"'i'"  '"""'■■s'ion  of  'he  way  in  which  the  Church  of  the  latter 
half  of  the  first  century  believed  that  the  Spirit  of  God  had  been  mani- 
fested within  it,  IS  afforded  by  the  Book  of  Acts.  This  treatise  is  written 
under  the  conviction  that  a  personal  Spirit  of  power  coming  from  the 
risen  Jesus  guided  the  fortunes  of  the  brethren  (Acts  1:8).  The 
Church  IS  lx)rn  at  Pentecost  by  an  act  of  power  (Acts  2:1-4).  Ananias 
and  Sapphira,  whose  treason  would  wreck  the  mutual  confidence  of  the 
brethren,  are  visited  by  sudden  death  (5:1-11).  Not  only  do  gifts  of 
healmg  appear  in  their  midst,  but  the  demons  arc  driven  out  and  the 
dead  raised  (Acts  3;if.;  5:12;  9:.i6-4.!;  20:7-10).  They  believed,  too, 
that  Jesus  Himself  had  given  them  this  power  (Luke  10:19,  20). 

■„''  .The  miraculous  element  in  the  life  of  the  early  Church  is  also 
illuminated  by  Mark  16 : 9-20.  As  they  stand  the  verses  are  not  part  of 
this  original  gospel,  but  they  may  be  used  for  our  present  purpose 
which  IS  to  show  the  conviction  of  the  brotherhood  during  the  first 
century.  (See  especially  17,  18,  most  of  which  may  be  paralleled  from 
Acts.)  The  miraculous  endowment  was  threefold:  (i)  For  edifica- 
tion of  the  brethren;  (2)  healing  diseases  and  averting  deadly  results- 
(3)  driving  out  demons.  Further,  the  passage,  like  Acts  and  Luke, 
connects  this  miraculous  power  with  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  an  accompani- 
ment of  the  introduction  into  the  world  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  which 
He  preached. 

3.  Thus  throughout  the  New  Testament  there  is  an  unbroken  convic- 
tion to  the  effect  that  that  period  was  exceptional,  and  that  the  believers 
had  been  invested  by  Jesus  with  r  v  powers.  His  Spirit  working  in 
them  to  this  effect.  It  is  impossible  to  deny  that  there  were  in  those 
<:arly  years  such  manifestations  (see  First  Day).  Were  they  tokens  of 
the  Divine  presence  as  the  Christians  themselves  believed?  To  deny 
their  interpretation  is  not  merely  to  say  that  they  were  mistaken  as  to 
some  events  of  their  life,  hut  to  hold  that  their  whole  world-view  was 
incorrect.  Miracles  were  to  them  as  much  a  sign  of  the  presence  of 
(3od  s  Spirit  as  was  their  new  life.  Indeed  they  were  inseparable,  for 
the  new  life  was  a  miraculous  creation  (2  Cor.  5:17). 


Tm  TuLiH  u,  iHt  Amsiotic  Gospil 


Study  5:   The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Third  Day:    The  Conquering  Gospel 


was  the  *splaV"of';ow;r'''ir^s"rmi«h.''v'«r"'  "'  '""'  ^''^  '•"  ^  "hole 


ncss  -'  hi  firse  preachcn  A  h,_S;  "ic  gospel  is  seen  in  the  amtresiive. 
d"v  ,  ,jke  by  a«S  firs?  thl  T."  ■  7'"'  ■:«■<'"«  »'  «heir  livcren 
world;  and  that  i  spT'J^l  SnvfeT™  tha.'Th"  '"''  "■'"  "«  Ro-"" 
a  few  years  to  run.  Nor  did  they  rel^rdHn™.„'  "1"^''?'  "''  >'"<'  ""ly 
through  internal  decay.  That  world^a.  ?  .  °m  ■'"1?""'  as  tottering 
■jore  prosperous  than  it  is  to-d"?  Antoch  T"''''  1='"""=  »"  'a? 
Rome  were  centers  of  enormous  wealth  a^HfiTj""?;  ^Phesus,  Corinth, 
of  these  missionaries  was  on-- "',a*ched  vlheir  su^e ".'       "'  '""""^ 

primacy  not"nf"be°cau*s^e'°th^/ had  f^Uer  JJ^  ^"S'"'!'   """o  ""W  'heir 
apostles  in  the  extend  ^^^h'ic^t,  fehTf^L'SiE^o-nsTC  ^S 


-  u.r.r  power  in  spreading  the  bosl 

Iheirs  was  r.o  mere  oflirial  raSi.     xr^*  ""'■  ^.''  '  "-or.  i-j:  i2'i2i 

apostles  in  the  extend  ^^^h'ic^t,  fehTf^L'SiE^o-nsTC  ^3 

Ro'man^T„^tei!;:h'atJd"t""isllfo';%^r'h^'  "  "«  ""?'««  by 


"uiiun  ana  ureek,  hated  by  his  fellow  uZ7.  1.  •  "''  aespised  by 
Rome  with  the  gospel  (Rim  VT^n)  ihA,^'u'KT/i'''"'^  ^^  '»« 
of  the  wise  Greet,  for  he  knows  ihf;  ™=;.  ■Vi*?  "  ^"^  been  the  scorn 
of  God  unto  salvation  No?  do^shrie»L*""  ^  ''""'^'^  *>'  ">i>  powe? 
source  of  his  superhuman  eners^  As  =  JL"V!i  ^"^  ''<"''>t  as  to  the 
s  ight  esteem,  so  much  so  Sed  that  on  h'  ""  ^°^'''>"=  ''  held  in 
stranjter  al  but  done  to  death  branded  with  .1/"'"'  '"  <^»'»"a.  » 
his  plight  almost  revolted  those  who  saw  hi^  r'P  '""  °'  C"-""' 
Before  and  since  he  has  been  the  oTav^in^nf  ^^V  '••'3'  M;  6:17). 
?/»'"'"  some  strait  when  "/asked  himself  wKS:  ^"'l'^"'-  -^K^'"  ^-d 
?  '  b'»  heart  would  answer,  Yes  1  (2  Cor  ,  „,  |5-"'k^""?  ''""'  « 
thin  because  of  his  hardships,  but  thron»h  li,.  '-i'  ft?  ^^^^  "  wearing 
™age  of  the  new  man  crea  ;d  in  Chr  f,  /JV"''  "'  ■"' ""h  »  '«"  thf 
1.  10).  The  power  of  the  living  Thr  .  ■  ^°'-  ^'■''-'^'  "■■^^■33:  12- 
vessel  of  clav.  '"'"«  "-hn      ,s  almost  incandescent  in  this 


Tui  TttTU  Of  Till  Apojiouc  GoiriL 
Study  5:    The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Fourth  Day:    In  Demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of 
Power 

I.  If  Ihc  apostles  held  forth  tht  word  of  power  like  bright  lights  far 
off  on  inhospitable  capes  or  islands  on  the  ocean  of  hesthenism,  there 
were  muUitudes  of  lesser  men  flashing  out  the  truth  along  the  shores 
indeed  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  power  of  the  unknown  missionary. 
HOW  often  was  the  planting  of  churches  done  by  obscure  believers  (Acts 
«:4.  5;  n:i9-a4).  The  church  to  which  Hebrews  was  written  had  been 
evangelized  by  unknown  persons  (Hcb.  3:3):  that  of  Rome— the  im- 
perial city— owed  its  origin  to  no  apostic ;  so  also  the  church  of  Coloss* 
(Col.  1:4). 

ur;u-^''l '•'''v"'j'''^'  '^^""^^  showed  itself  in  its  missionary  zeal. 
Within  their  borders  such  a  powerful  fountain  of  living  water  had 
suddenly  burst  forth  that  it  streamed  down  upon  the  world  in  every 
direction  And  fruits  of  the  Spirit  grew  luxuriantly  along  the  water 
courses  from  the  soil  that  had  hitherto  been  quite  barren  This  active 
propaganda  of  the  faith  is  as  evident  at  the  end  of  the  century  in 
Johannine  circles  as  at  the  oeginning  (3  John  7,  8).  They  expected  the 
hatred  of  the  world  indeed  (l  John  3:13),  hut  when  Rome  has  shown 
her  teeth  a  Jew  dares  to  defy  her  in  the  words  of  Rev.  18:16  17  jo 
"?"r"^S.'"  nothing  thev  found  their  chief  joy  in  the  spread  of  the  Bos- 
pel  (2  Thess,  3:1;  Phil.  1:12-20). 

3-  In  Ephesus,  Athens  and  Corinth  Paul  was  first  regarded  as  one 
of  a  multitude  of  itinerant  rhetoricians  who  took  stock  themes  from 
conventional  mora  ity.  These  "sophists"  were  like  modern  clergymen 
m  whom  the  professional  has  absorbed  the  minister.  They  made  a 
trade  of  their  eloquence.  The  "philosopher,"  often  wearing  a  distinctive 
garb,  would  gather  a  crowd,  but  he  could  not  handle  the  problems  of 
life  with  earnestness  (i  Cor.  1:20,  21).  At  first  the  Athenians  thought 
that  Paul  was  a  picker-up  of  learning's  chips,"  and  then  th-y  politely 
dismissed  him  (Acts  17:  i8ff.).  In  contrast  with  the  other  lecturers  who 
sought  to  impart  by  rhetoric  some  of  the  culture  which  was  the  training 
of  every  gentleman,  the  Christian  prophet  or  apostle  spoke  not  in  ex- 
cellency of  speech,  but  with  divine  inspiration  (i  Cor.  21-s  12  n) 
Many  were  subdued  into  obedience  to  this  word  of  power,  while  others 
stared  at  such  unwonted  conviction  and  passed  by.  (For  this  study 
f"  n=tch.  Influence  of  Greek  Ideas  on  Christian  Church";  MahaflFy's 
Greek  World  under  Roman  Sway":  Gildcrslecve's  "Essay  on  Apollonius 
of  Tyana  in  Classical  Essays";  Zeller's  "Philosophic  der  Griechen  "  III 
^;  PP;  ■^-■•V;  Ramsay's  "St.  Paul  the  Traveler  and  Roman  Citizen." 


35 


Tm  TiUTH  or  thi  Afottotic  Goim. 


Study  5:   The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Fifth  Day:    The  Defeat  of  Magic 
II  wilhn  the  Church  is  moral    LnH„.f..  ""''.",' P""'"  "•'''I' 

were  supposed   to  be  ootini      Th.   ..„.■.        'l'"'"",  "hich   charmj 

?he"new  wohAS?^  tSgic' s"oVht''.o*"  '''"""1'°  havrVened'up 
triumphant  progress  thS  all*th,  r,^?""""'}  ""J'  '°  .''^«  ''"'  => 
death  1,ad  beinlosmic  in  i?5  effects     I,  h?HtL'  °'  '••^™iverse.     His 

.hither  victorious  i„'Z  na"i'Sr£hrTs.'?L„^^^;r,",:''^r,:''i:?J^  ^S!* 
new  Person.  Ts^ee  Ra'^\aT"St''^^a^Th'^  T^itl^''^.  tf'""  °'  ^ 


T«l  TlUTM  or  THE  AroSTOLIC  Go^PIL 


Study  5:    The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Sixth  Day  :    Kept  bv  the  Tower  of  God  Unto  Salvation 


1.  The  Christian  not  only  possessed  exceptional  powers  and  had  con- 
fidence to  go  anywhere  with  his  gospel,  but  he  was  of  this  mind  because 
he  (elt  that  he  was  in  the  protection  of  an  invincible  Power  (i  John  5: 
18).  Undoubtedly  the  odds  against  him  were  enormous.  To  an  on- 
looker his  life  was  little  more  than  a  vapor  drifting  for  a  day  on  cur- 
rents of  erratic  and  irrciiistible  force  (James  4: 14).  Behind  this  visible 
world  there  was.  he  thought,  the  world-god.  lord  of  innumerable  evil 
spirits,  whose  influence  was  so  subtle  that  hi-  breathed  it  into  his  life 
(Eph.  6:12).  There  was  the  stream  of  temptation  to  case,  worldly 
hopes,  and  past  association  in  which  many  were  submerged  (Heb.  4:1; 
10:35-39).     Multitudes  endured  a  fearful  struggle  against  apostasy. 

a.  But  the  average  Christian  had  joyful  confidence.  This  is  a  favorite 
term  in  the  New  Testament  vocabulary  (Acts  4:13,  29:  Phil.  i:ao; 
Heb.  3:6;  I  John  3:21;  4-i7)  Their  God  ua^  encamped  round  about 
them  (t  Peter  1:4,  5).  It  was  no  slight  demand  that  was  made  on  the 
Jewish  Christians  to  entrust  their  life  and  its  fortunes  to  the  ntv,  Israel. 
Nay.  they  ventured  heroically  in  abandoning  their  patriotism,  the  pres- 
tige of  a  religion  consecrated  by  the  promises  of  God  and  the  glory 
of  temple  and  ritus'  '^r  a  religion  without  visible  mediator  or  offer- 
ing, with  no  history  oehind  it  or  social  rank,  almost  bare  in  its  spiritual 
simplicity.  (This  lies  at  the  basis  of  much  of  the  argument  of  H< 
brews.  See  4:14-16;  6:17-20:  7:a6-2fi;  8:1-13;  9:8-10.  etc.)  Hardly 
less  was  required  of  a  Gentile  who  had  to  face  the  scorn  of  his  fellows 
in  joining  a  fcrclt^n  brotherhood.  In  fact  nothing  but  an  overwhelming 
senst  of  *n  [lo.rtr  of  Jesus  would  have  made  them  willing  for  the  sacri- 
fice 'ohn  rii.  j7  .jo).  If  God  was  for  them,  who  could  be  against  them  ' 
(Rom,  8:28-.i9.) 

3.  This  confidence  is  often  described  as  "enthusiasm."  But  the  mat- 
ter does  not  end  there.  How  was  this  enthusiasm  created?  In  ordinary 
life  enthusiasm  is  not  always  a  coefficient  of  strength.  The  enthusiastic 
elements  are  often  the  least  permanent,  being  dependent  on  some  excit- 
ing cause.  Enthusiasm  is  not  a  proper  description  of  the  tide  of  life  that 
came  in  irresistibly  and  covered  forever  unhealthy  marshes,  jagged 
reefs  and  piteous  wreck*;.  In  the  New  Testament  n  is  coming  to  the 
flood.     Never  since  in  Christendom  has  it  fallen  to  where  it  was. 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospb. 
Study  5.   The  Sense  of  Power  in  the  Brotherhood 


Seventh  Day  : 


III  ! 


The  Holv  Spirit  op  Christ  the  Source  of 
Power 

"emhufc\^S.le'reL|^'=of1hfKES;"  ""'''■  ■"■«>"  "=  '""■'<• 
out  as  Christians  gladly  abandoned  them,  i^""  ™"  "<"  """e'y  Aung 

fef::H^f{y.af;^SilMS?.^-|^'?H= 
"e'r^^sirn'.'"  ~"'-- "'  «'-^  -"thfoP;^4i,'S;i«t '^:.ti2,>, 

wi?h,n"ht7RS°8.Tr  'fist  T'rS"^'  ""  '"«  --«  of  power 
Testament-the  indwell  ne  of  a  w;/  "!u"'  "so<:i«ed  in  the  New 
source  in  Christ  who  d  ed  for  them'i^H  """""  f"'  brethren,  and  it* 
|4:49;  Acts  15:8;  2  Cor  ,  jj,  ^rHrt*  ^f.  fi«=i'"  "„»'"'  »:»;  Luke 

'!>«".?    It  .s  because  the  Ught  isVn  the  wo'rldluoTn  rs't"  3)*"'°" 

cait.d'"he"4SS  ?jr  s:  fr^',*''^'".""^ ««'-  '-■"  j«u»  .-s 

m  whom  He  will  return  ti  them t«in  Ari'  '?'  Advocate  or  Support 
wr*"  *"*  P"t«ost,  and  ,heoutwurin^n?,h''S  H*"  "»  "pAi^ 
brethren  is  regarded  by  them  a^  ?  nSS,f  .t*.°'.."'f  ,H°'y  Spirit  upon  the 
inaugurated,  and  that  SrhL'^ .?"'"'  ""  Messianic  age  has  been 
throned  .Lorf  (Act,  I'^.S  38?  rhr=.f"'  ">  "'™  f™m*  thi  r  en" 
all-sufficient  evidence  to  them  that  h!.?™  P°"'/'  "*  ">'  Spirit  we?e 
was  fulfilled.  Every  disolav  nf  ,n-  Promise  of  visiting  rfis  oemle 
the  Spirit  of  God  ^i^^a-.tS-'B^uTLt-^f''  °'  "■'»""-«  of 

-i%Ier''thel"airont''rin1  't.TZ'"   'Y   •'^"■"•■ood,   their 
doubted  what  its  source  was  *and  its  resu^fiV"''''""'!?-     ^hey   never 

tt^pn'  V?h7'lfiSrip?riS"&™^^ 

preted  to  tSe  world        '^     '^    '  "'  ^^  ''''O''  ^ture  Jesus  has  inter 


The  T«uth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospei. 
Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creation 


First  Day :    The  Bad  Soil  in  which  the  Gospel  «as  Sown- 

oflh'/n'"'  ?  .'="/"{.  """y  °f  the  slaves  having  brought  the  vilest  idels 
hivoc  2  th"  hT'^jfcr'Tt'  °^  "'f  ^"'"Z-  ""^'d,  w*  ich  soon  wro„gh 
AtheS,!C>k  J  I  ">.'"*''  '"°"'  '""^  of  K°™^  during  the  Republic 
Athens,  too,  had  lost  her  earnestness.     The  provinces  outstritmirf  t h, 

Trmh'edi'?")"'^-     f'"  ^""^'^  'history'  M"Europ"erTol,'s^^ 

"  '-*'i  **!**  ''■'■'^'  P"?an  world  disgust 
And  secret  loathinff  fell. 
Deep  weRrfness  and  sated  lust 
Made  human  life  a  hell." 


39 


Thi  TituTH  OT  iHi  Aposiouc  Gosm 

Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creation 


SECO.O  D.v:    A  Ye.h.,.o  Amo.c  the  GK^rans  k-. 
Revelation 

and  hpSivJirf^t"?;;!:  zT,±S!r """ "°  ■«■"?  Th« .-, 

.deal  ,t  „as  sufficient  to  rouTe  in  m?ny  a  L'?'"'  "  -"""^""^  "''"  °" 
of  their  great  cities.    From  this  da«  f„?     "'  '«'!""  ">e  hideousness 

«rinl  ".'"■"'', '"'"''^"''ip    in    clubs  ITnrtr  f*^-  ^'"''•'•'     There  was 
stringent  morals.    The  age  was  in  fL  «l'?io.us    guilds    involvini 

whfc'if'fl  "•  ^^"""'"i"  'ho^ugh  "hafyiTird  "i'^""'  ''>"'.  ""'  "hi"? 
which  for  a  few  was  almost  a  religion  '  Practical  philosophy 

|arding^'h/i°r^s^cnT-w'orlS^?d^"'as°'h^iV''}^^^^^  "'  PW^'oPl-^-     R- 
Stoic  sought  to  follow  nature  in  a?corrt,n^'  °'..""  •"'"''''=  sy"ems,  the 

with  a  glow  of  emotTon,  wh  le  th^  JZ?'^^"''"^'  Stoicism  is  suffused 
thai  'tr"^''.  °f  Epi"""    'o  X;Va,uf"",nH",°'.'*f,''-'="'  A"rel"s 

-a,  e«el,e„ce  never?o„»,H^|  n?;''oJ'';5iV?';i  Sl^  ^5^ 

ocfanJS?  re^pffiopT/VStFdeltSE'-^-  .«"  -«  ^-^nft  on  an 
they  hailed  every  craft  from  the  Ea,,  "  J  "t"'"''  "°'"  <^°"'Pass,  and 
.VeT'' p'™u  "'  """•'"  world  in  which  tht?'''"'ii°.^'"  'hem  tidings 
the  neo-Pythagorean  philosopher  d,  m  J  .'^  *'°^'?  '"'"  Relieve.    This 

apart  from  its  influence  on  a  feu,  tT.-Ji  ■  "ebrew,  and  as  a  system 
"'•«i.'.''=.,iy=.=^J'  burden  of  Hfl  fTnm  '2  1"  "  ""  '"effectual,  n?ve?  lifN 
wick's  "History  of  Ethics"'  Zenl?'="DL^'  '"^?^"  <='  "t™-  (See  S  de 
.ii'n'.^i'  "J"!."^!;-  ■'Infl"en  e'ofi'rWk  Ideas°»n''H'"fl''"  GriecheV"llC|, 
tian  Church."  Lecture  VI.)  "^  ^'"'  Usages  upon  the  Chris- 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creation 


Third  Day  :    The  Jew  Prepares  the  World  for  the  Gospel 

with  their  desires  turlfed.oilrdfraaVseOien.l.lTVif;'''  ™"" 
the  way  for  Christianity  ^  """"  """^  prepared 

f.f    ^°'^l  """"^  ''f^  Judaism  done  for  these  proselytes  and  th-  "O^ 

i'Ai.=lS  i'd-i'™:  "."sur-a  5i-s-,s 


The  Tkuth  of  thk  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creatio 


Fo.«x„  D.v:    Thk  Gosph.  .  Wo«o  o.  Goo  to  .  Dbp«.veo 
World 

h;.'-,uI.7or1.Vovef  ht  cfeSV'ntiteTn'  fl^  ^^  -•-  regard  .o 

Magic  and  superstilion  accomDanierf  hv^,1i'  ^'™-'«''^  also  abroad, 
among  the  Jews  of  the  Wes"?n  DiSDersion  p"*  ,!""!'«  STeat  inroads 
Jew  in  Rom.  2:1-29  is  just  for  hir«Srhw».  I'i  '  J""'*""'"  °n  the 
the  Gentile.  '      '         "'*  »"'"  "»»  equally  deep  with  thai  of 

bankrJ,!;'  'ft'Ll  ioSgTtTritil'el.s'creZ'K"  '\'-  ""<"'  ""  ™0""v 
Iigion  or  philosophy  which  nrnlL.         "u"  ''^  "'^'"8  «oek  in  any  re- 

?heV,r  1'^"'^"  on'roSg'SrStitf  "^l"' 'i'-  ?>"  '"isVas 
'VJWO'-ld  ,a.:  been  exhausted.  A  new  cKi^;^  h,^  ."?'"'  --"erve  of 
older  relig-,.ns  had  been  immoral      pf.rf,  ^'"^  '°  ''=  created.    The 

KOdj.  It -."^  the  philosoph™^Xh,^""^^^^^^  '"  'heir 

the  hiKhest  morality.  Philolonhv  1,,^  f.?  '.."'"  ""  »"«••  who  preached 
that  virtue  is  the  true^reason  t^fnf  ■*?'  '°  »':'>'«•  ^"^  with  success 
thing,.  Knowledgii?  s  sa  d  is  v"rfui"  h,«"'  'I  l""  <^?"=tit,.tion  of 
withm  the  reach  of  the  wise  man  m  thtV  ^,  ""^5  knowledge  is  only 
h.ghest  virtue  was  at.ainabfl  ^^^  ^^ 'ti^st^Zr'u^'^l^^^^Z  '"' 

w4h  m™  Same!  in'^se'd:;/' awareTo  """T,,"'  'f  ™  "-^  '-•"  "< 
virtue  is  not  the  solution  of  ?he  proWem  of 'S"i^""j'i  that  knowledge  of 
power  and.  authority.  It  was  an  hungered  forr,""l-.- ^''^?  '«^  "«<f='i 
for  a  religion  that  would  come  with  "thu^  «=.>!,  T'V'°";„"  ""  ■■"<'>■ 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  eariy  gospel  was  nin.!-'  ^i'"'-  '^"'^  'here 
manner.     There  was  no  tJX„i-  "      proclaimed  m  no  hesitatinir 

part  of  the  reason"  hy"  hlta/ ber^ed^^nH  "l'  "'•"l''^''"-  ™s  "a! 
to  his  message  '  believed,  and  when  the  world  listened 

nelded'"''¥he't^p^e™f5'„5"  S'ln'?'  "^'-''"'"^  *-'  -"ere  i,  was 
n;ore.pro.(^iga.e^h'an  ThVcSry  district's"  ';!'"  ""''f"  "."?  ''  =  ™' 
glorying  in  her  "Daphnic  mS?  •  n  Corinfi^  *t'  "'"'«'  '"  Antioch, 
m  a.word  denoting  vice  of  the  worst  sort ^„^  TJ'o'  """^  "■"  <^"^^e" 
empire.  Certainly  the  gospel  did  not  reftL^  !  n"""'  ""^  ^™''  of  the 
world  in  his  strongholds  "''  '°  challenge  the  god  of  this 


TBI  T«UTH  OF  THE  AfoSTOUC  GosFD. 


Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creation 


Fifth  Day:    The  Message  of  Israel  as  to  Righteousness 
AND  Sin 

wL.^*"^  ^°"  I'V'JH-  "Salvation  is  of  the  Tews"?  (John  4:32.) 
What  advantage  fcad  the  Jew  in  the  history  of  refigion?  (Kom.  3-  iff  ) 
SI  h^3  i'/vf'  ^°,i  had  reveled  His  character  as  nowhere  elVeThfs  pe^ 
which  jriTo,,^  '"^h"' "dowment  of  spiritual  life.  So  Christianity. 
™,i.  1,!^  ^'  -P  '"A ."■■7,  ">  completion  the  best  that  God  had 

made  known  concerning  Himself,  became  the  true  successor  to  Israel 

S^'JThjV""  ""=  ■■"  ',1";?^'^  '^''"  ""'>■  J«"=  t""  His  apostles  Recog- 
nize that  He  came  to  fulfill  the  past,  to  bring  to  perfection  truths  that 
were  adumbrated  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  (MawT;,;"  Heb   i  • . ) 

2.  .What  was  the  message  of  Israel  to  the  world?  (Mark  12:28-11  ) 
neaven  and  of  earth.  His  will  is  absolute,  and  t  is  also  perfect  in 
fi?  mef"TL  J"""'  "■■",, "'rlTl"'"  '^"'?"  'he  law  of  r°ghteous"e  s 
^Min/f  Ti,  OW, Testament,  and  it  served  as  a  noble  moral  dis- 
«f;n^  J  '^""'  .**■?  '"J"*  ""''"■  "■  ^'''^'''"K  ''•<'"'  'h'  fi""!  spirits  their 
fJom^th^r"  '??  '?  "V''«"ance.  This  was  quite  a  different  position 
;2^n  I  aI  ^"a'^^'  y''°  ««?■■<'«<•  virtue  as  a  matter  of  universal 
If^^L^"^}'^  gods  and  men  alike.  According  to  the  Hebrew  ideal 
of  conduct  virtue  is  righteousness,  obedience  to  the  will  of  a  holy  God. 

3-  .Further  the  elaborate  ritual  of  worship  served  to  inspire  the 
t^*?.  I-l'fl"".  J  --"".ence  for  the  inviolate  purity  of  his  God,  which  was 
™...!  J,'"*?'"  ^MV"  ■"'  "",'■  "'"'  P"so"al  life-  The  people  of  Jehovah 
T^r,  ^Jn^"  '2^'''l.'■'•  »°"';  and  body.     Even  Isaiah  is  a  man  of  un- 

^-.„™  <  ■'"°  .  ■  .J*"'  introduced  a  conception  which  was  in  large 
h^„  ^„,  IS'!'^"  r*^',^"!"'}^  °"'!,"'=  °'  Judaism.  There  is  none  goSd 
fR„ri-iVB^"  God. (Mark  10:18),  for  all  have  disobeyed  God's  law 

sionf^.i,^  ?2,i,.^'"^''i,"lS'ir'"'""?  <■  J""!"  3-4).  it  is  a  transgres- 
sion of  the  limits  which  God  has  appointed  as  right  conduct  (Rom  !• 
13.  14).  Sin  IS  not  merely  shortcoming  in  reaching  forth  to  an  ideal. 
3^L,iS!IT  '"  Ta  P^KTf"  *hich  we  shall  outgrow,  nor  a  disease,  noi^ 
defective  knowledge.    All  moral  evil  is  sin:  it  is  trespass  against  a  holy 


Thi  Truth  or  ihi  Apo.touc  Gosul 

Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  r  New  Creation 


Sixth  Dav:    Love  op  a  Father's  Will  which  ,s  Truth 
Displaces  Fear 

»way  before  it  g<^t  down  to*he  ™i.^^?.'""'""i '■".'•''"'■ '»  >«  <=i'""i 
overlaid  as  it  hfS  biST by  the  inst?i«?on'if"Sf  °'  '!«  common  people, 
become  so  encrusted  with  traditS^i^^.m  the  scribes.  The  law  had 
mg  was  forgotten,  and  the  w'o  svs  erJ  1,"?^'^""'  "'""Pnal  mean- 
nnder  pain  of  D  vine  disoTea°ure  R?.hf.l'°  "* ''"""'''°"»'y  ob>«^^ 
Phar.se.  obedience  to  an  o''urr'd%od'l;t"a°?^';jrth:ri.iS?ed't  CoTf 

a."  ^iw:'t^i,^^^:'z  ''i;:!':!XTJ'"r  "^^'^  %!"«''  p"- 

as  gratitude  and  love,  which  ouh?  .w , A  il"  "^'«;°'"  feelings,  such 
Old  Testament,  are  tot  fSly  aooarem  ?n  .K*"'  »"?*"*><'  '»°"<»  of  the 
The  Pharisee  did  not  love  his  God  He  «JS'  "°  '  ^'.l-'  Pharisee,, 
■naster.  Ancient  ethics  general  V  shared  ^^"1  T'  t°'.^™  "  »  '"■<- 
ception  of  fear  as  the  ruhne  factor  if  H.,^  ater  Judaism  this  con- 
to  God.    (See  Wundt's  Ethfcs  )  """""""'"8  the  relation  of  man 

Faiher^"'H?iJ^'S"H^s%'hn§?e'n1„:,''Vh  ^TSi'V^""  «">'  God  is  a 
loved  the  world  as  "o  give  Hf;C''.te  f""^^  'pve  Him.  God  so 
springs  from  God's  nature  ft  lohn  ;.?M  3:»6):  indeed  all  our  love 
external  code,  lifeless  and  terrortingft^i,  ^^'"^  "?^"  'f  >«  =" 
and  loving  will  (,  Pjter  i  i^-iTl  ^l,  '  k'?- ""^  expression  of  a  holy 
Divine  nature  are  erS  in.^o  a  standard  -Iff '"'' .^°?''!:"5  °'  '^' 
completeness  and  its  power  drives  f?Sn.the(i,Mii  *'"'=''  '^"'  ""  *" 
Truth  IS  no  longer  merely  an  intellJrT,!  ''  ■""  'jonipeting  ideals, 

essence  of  life;  it  is  The  will  of  a  HoirFither '^'^7'  "'"'  "■'  P""'"^^' 
Ja^'es'^lls)."'"  """""^  •"=  •™"t^hf  EJ,i:Je°r'rjoL"'8:7.' ^4^6': 

I  %h^3^^Ztt%\  '"Thfre  "/f"  '".  ''''«'™  <R™-  8:3.-39- 
Holy  Father  mklisH^^coJmands  for  u",  n  '■''I'""'"  """"  "  ^= 
obeyed  because  we  are  comSedbv  alarm  T,  ,i,  '°""  P"«P'''  '°  ^ 
obedience,  but  we  become  eiirpr  in  .  l-  ^l  ^\  consequences  of  dis- 
is  (I  Johi  4:7-^2;  5-3  4)  ^"*  **"'  ""^  "'"  of  ^<^  'Of  •" 


The  Thuth  of  thi  Atosiouc  Gospel 
Study  6:  The  Christian  Character  a  New  Creati, 


Seventh  Dav:    Forgiveness  of  Sins  and  Fait.,  at  the 
Root  of  Christian  Character 

F=i;i,  T)"' condition  of  forgiveness,  however,  was  faith  fActs  iviR  m^ 
raith  m  its  simplest  idea  is  tru«t  Ha  wI^a  i»i.-.  i  V'^cis  13.38,  39). 
of  God,  places  himself  entr,.lv?n  hT.  1,      ■  '^''""  "•"sts  in  the  mercy 

?  ?ohn  .  .'^V™H  ■"'°I  ""  '°«  °f  ^°^  (Gal,  2:m  af  He"  11 -l  6- 
Ch^rttia  4>-  rtVifs^h'  rXonTa's  ^"  "'['f  ^'""nTdals'm'kn'd 

evir  P^o^syiss^'^MSralf  "s„*'e"f?oJ"""''"'??."'"'^''  "°  o'""  «>"'">- 
heart  y the  Snirifyfr^^V-.?""  '  "™  ''*'  '^'■"'fd  "-''hin  man's 


45 


Thi  TlUTH  OF  THE  AposIOlIC  G0S«L 


Study  r.  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


First  Day  :    How  was  the  Will  of  God  Known  ? 

liever  in  the  way  of  God  (PhiKi:  T.      %««.".'.'?'',«"'?'''  ""=  ■«- 

ties  and  prophetsVhose  teachinl»n^  .^^'  "'fV  '""'r  "'""i"  tht  apos- 
brotherhS>d(,  Cor  2  l6)  Further  e="h"'^-'-5"',''j'"  """=  <=' 'h« 
or  joyous  discipline  n  which  he  could  di.rn  "''','>;''"=  ,^?  ^J"  0™  hard 
would  conform  to  any  o"hlr  GtS^hiinl  "  ""  *"i'  °'  ^""l-  No  one 
S6.  2T.  James  1 :2;  i  P«„  i  :6,  ?)       ^     '"'■'"*"  '^  '"'"  C*™'  «■ 

fo3„d^ierere'r„'''L's''?h:''i;?;  'ofVstrh?fs,-"  ^r"'^'- "''  s--' 

to  the  Word  of  God,  to  the  orearhin^  Ha  f '  .^^  8^*"  ">oment 
to  the  private  discipline  of  each  one',  fou?  He"«oiH°L'^  "P?"'"'  ""-i 
great  Exemplar  of  character  Kd  T«n,'  nff.t  u""*  "^J""  t'"'"  »«  ">« 
unto  life?     (See  Mark  Rwf  •   iSr,,?     =°  o     himself  to  be  a  Guide 


46 


Tai  TiuiB  or  tm  Aposiouc  Goim. 


Study  7:  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Second  Day:    Jesus  Christ  the  Perfect  Exemplar 

di5dpfes  of  J«u,  of  Na"a  «h"  N^  moV  o±"«„"i  /"^^  J',™"!.'.'' 
than  that  so  large  a  part  of  the  New  T,..,™!  "1  "  "3'""i  for  this 
of  the  earthly  life  of  JesuV  lhoT»h  .h.^?.'  'f  ''"""I  '"  "«  --""d 
th...  he  most  of  Ve„i'stlesXv  »^  *"''''''■.  "'i'  '"'"'"  o"?'" 
part  of  the  canon  The  ?  fe  of  "esus  t"7^  ""  *".'  »"''><'"'>tTve 
10  the  readers  of  the  epistles  I?  is'Sable  fh«  ^i"'T'\  '?  ^  '<"''«" 
Jesus  as  presented  to  the  avera<rL  ?K«-  '  ""5  '?"'  °'  "«  "t^Wy 

have  in  the  synopHc  ysKlffS'^he  te^»„'IS^  °i- J*"'  '>''«  «''''='■  *« 
general  stream  of  'hroTuJih  life 'ill  afer^hi'l?'''  TP^"  •"'"  "« 
circulated  for  some  years  """"  '""''  *«'"  w'dely 

co^lSojbi^ESrSte^??  r 


47 


Thi  T«uth  or  iHi  'VrosTouc  Gosru. 

Study  7:  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Third  Day:    Obedience  to  the  Will  of  Goo  in  Christ 
Brings  True  Freedom 

without  a  law?     (Rom    eSe^d        ni  ?,h«-,'?"""t'"'°  ^'""^y 
embodiment  of  the  D°v"new  11  7  "%f"''S"""  "   P'"""  "  the 

they  alUined  free'dom   when'thV    Uami^slave" Tart"'^''"'^' 
X'^^'^Z\r^.:'Z"r^-^  -^  .Hera,tTo4,?;d'1o  a^SoSt 


Thi  Tkltu  or  iHi  Apostolic  Cosru. 
Study  7:   The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Fourth  Day  :    Love  the  N'ew  and  Best  Fruit  of  the  Spirit 

tJiJlS,!,2"','-.u"n  ''  ,'"  ?'"„°"'  ■'"  "'"l  '■''■  whether  the  ingrained 
evil  habitude  of  the  Gentiles  (i  Peter  1 :  18;  4:2,  3).  or  the  accumulatiJ 
prejudices  and   vices  of  the  Jews-both  of  which  are  in   ess™,     he 

iini^ir  ?-k' •  .T"  """"""'he  worldly  mind  (Matt.  l6:2j).  The 
iT.  of  whi.h''  '"'*""■  "»"i'r«»  i'«"  in  '  unique  character  the  i"! 
tues  of  which  were  a  new  ethical  creation  of  extraordinary  richness 
Though  thev  are  common  to  all  the  writings  of  the  New  T«fament "  is 
mthe  epistfes  of  Pau  that  they  are  most"  fully  described  Thi  wl  of 
^■!^',?'P  "  P»«'»'ly  expressed  in  what  Paul  calls  "the  fruil  of  the 
Spirit-  (Gal.  5:«,  ,3;  feph.  5:9).    Some  of  these  grace,  are  a"  foHows 

3.    Love.    This  is  the  supreme  virtue  of  Christianity  (i  Cor.  m:m) 

,i.  l„  r  ■  °.\"\  remarkable,  the  common  classical  word  for 
the  love  of  passion  (1^)  is  not  found  in  the  New  Testament  Love 
;  h^f  rr*'!'  ?'  '"'•R^'ing  efficacy  in  the  realm  of  conduc  and" 
in  Itself  sufficient  to  distinguish  Christian  ethics  radically  from  Damn 
V^r'^A^t"'^-  '"U"^'."^!■  0°''  i»  ">e  »ource  of  love  (l  John  4^7  ^8^6 
19),  and  by  His  Spirit  it  is  shed  upon  our  hearts  (Rom  5  5?     It  is  a 

ChH«";^^:t.'*""".i:'  '5""P  'j"""  "«  '«•  "'  redemptbn.'ieve    umi' 

Jei?ec.!;5^:J5  \^  1^,  :!'S!%TS-J  -^f  t^n^^^-e  .  .  i. 
Greek  virtue- .M.i,    regard  for  the  sanctity  of  the  dYvine-which  was 

e,f\  iDlhit  if- '"  '."?"""«  vocabulary  of  words  denoting  the  qualities 
of  a  lovable  disposition.     It  cannot  indeed  be  claimed  that  gwjdness  of 

JvmoatZ'  fL"^r  '"""'i  '"■■  'i"?  ""  "  "-is  time  a  risin|TeHng  0 
sympathy  for  those  under  suffering,  and  there  are  intimation,  nfl,,, 

IT^'rH?  T."  '"  ■^'=1^''?'  ""••°"'  n"' =  «'tle  human"  inj  ™  s  and  a  r": 
gard  for  the  morally  heroic.  (See  Butcher,  p.  76.)  But  the  Greeks  had 
n<«  much  more  than  a  fine  instinct,  often  overborne  by  elfishness  aSd 
of  ,hrZfH/.H"'/,i?'"^>  development  reached  fell  %nsideraSly  ih^rt 
filn  L  'lu°^^''"';'^"  '=.';"''>     (Sidgwick,  p.  1,0).    InThe  Chri" 

llfa-t'iHrFn;!  lI'l^rlreVreTsir'''  "^  "■'  •°"  °'  '^o"  ■""  >  ^-^'■"" 


« 


Till  TiutH  or  Till  AroiTOLic  Co»m 

Study  7:  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Finn  Day:    Goodness,  Beneficence,  Loncsupferino, 
Patience 

o»'»l,'^Jl"iU?''  ?'"«««!'«•    Th«e  two  txautiful  word.,  ihe  liner 

can  .(ford  mVlii.h^V"  S*""'"""  *".'  *  ''"»"'•  «""'»■•  'O"'.  "n" 
IVlrlhl  ui.  ""''  °J  F'XX'n""  'O  othtri  btcause  of  Ihe  boundleH 
f.  •  H,h  A  fn'Tl"?""''  r™"-  God  in  Christ  (Rom.  .3:8;  a  cSr  o 
d  fferin^  forrSJ  1'°'"'  ^ '  '«•  ">•  Thi.  goodnes.  took  on  a  gr«T  ™?» 
rhoM^h  L  ..^  ;■  "•  P"'""-"-  «"  open-hearted  and  open-hindedTnd 
hough  no  ascetic,  gl.i,  ,  gave  his  worldly  goods  to  his  brethren  rs,; 
the  Ideal  of  the  earry  Church  in  Acts  2:ui(>.)    Is  it  correct  to  ell  thi! 

rrrr  erM'd'"S;''or.h'°\'"'v^?^'4^ '°«^^^^^^ 

heavini;",  "     (,   /h«.  !«'»'?''""    <*'*•'•"♦'.).  all  ions  of  a 

.«^e ;,  ssii,;  ^rtn  ^■i^^;^'di^'^^':^fL^^^'^ 

19).  and  11.    compassion"  (i  Peter  .rSlnk  10 : 33  ji •  James  i  ■  ■! VV 
(Ro'm.°«?"ff,"''-  """'  '°  ""  '""O  •"<'  <'ver».J'e;tTwithV<^ 

ance     The  Chri«if  n  &S  f".^"''  "^iV  "i'h  it  the  idea  of  forbear- 
ancc.     ine  unnstian  shall  not  return  evil  for  evil  and  i«  •lAt»  »«  n,-= 

^JH^^hr^-iff-  .^ye  ^  ji^J^g  r^d"?; 

«ni  i!.'*  *^"^'"'""*  *°  '^J'  **>=*  '"  t*ie  Christian  ideal  a  passive  oatiene- 
and  endurance  were  suJmt  tii»*«<'l  tn-  *i.-  ^u  ■  f"*"'*5  patience 


Tm  TauTH  or  tin  Akitoiic  Goiru 


Study  7:  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Sixth  Day:    Gentleness,  Mefkness,  Humility,  Fidelity, 
Self-restraint 

I.  Gtntlcncu.  mccknMi,  humiliiv.  are  gcrmint  to  lonisufTcrinc 
J«ui  wai  meek  .ind  lowly  in  hearl .'  This  is  alio  a  dislinoively  Chrii- 
tun  virtue.  Ihough  the  Greeki  had  a  kindred  conception  in  the  line  word 
equity  (<t«..,(.)  ",wcet  reasonablenejs."  which  came  into  the  Chrii- 
ti»ll  vocabulary  unstained  by  debasing  associations,  and  with  the  best 
tradition*  oJ  pagan  moralt  (Acts  34:4:  j  Cor.  10:1;  Phil.  4:5;  James 

3.  Gentleness  was  indeed  not  unknown  among  the  heathen  moralists, 
but  11  was  held  in  low  esteem  by  Aristotle,  whose  ideal  was  the  hiih- 
minded  man.  he  who  in  his  pride  of  heart  deems  himself  worthy  of 
great  things,  because  he  actually  is  worthy.  "The  Greek  ideal  of  the 
perfect  gentleman  (4  «.Xo,J->«W.)  has  in  it  j  touch  of  aristocratic  senti- 
ir„'l,T'  {'  ".l'  "'"  '^"'i  'T  'h  '""«■'  "^*'  '"  IhVgifled  for  "he 
?  M  •  \^  }"J"°^'l  *""  'I,  •'•  <»"  "'  »«<>■""  the  disinherited,  the 
Si  v."'t''J''''=  ".'  ■""  "",''  i?"''t!f'  P-  ")■  The  word  which  in 
the  New  Testament  is  translated  humble  (r,wi>y6t)  meant  to  the  r.r«.k 
what  was  abject  and  servile.  ".«»« 

3.  Jesus  made  the  meek  spirit  a  premier  virtue  (Matt.  5:5-  11  w) 
He  called  the  poor  and  the  humble  into  His  kingdom,  afi  those  who 
in  suite  of  worldly  oppression  and  adverse  conditions  were  cherishine 
the  hope  that  soine  day  they  would  be  able  to  worship  God  in  true  riiht 
eousness  and  holiness  without  fear  (Luke  1:74.  75).  Meekness  is  no 
natura^  disposition,  but  is  an  inwrought  grace  of  the  heart  (Rom.  ij- 
3.  I  Peter  j.-4.  5).  It  is  based  in  a  true  knowledge  of  self  as  it  ao- 
gejrs   when   the   spotless   purity   of  Christ's   life   is   flashed   upon   us. 

Meekness  represses  the  ^  am  of  personal  merit  because  even  in  the 
samt  there  is  a  continual  s>:nse  of  imperfection,  so  that  he  must  rely  ut- 
terly on  a  strength  that  is  not  his  own"  (Sidgwick.  "Ethics,"  p.  122). 

4.  Other  virtues  such  as  trustworthiness  (l  Cor.  4-2-  Col  i-a- 
Luke  ,2:42f!.)  and  self-restraint  (,  Peter  ,-,3;  4:7;  i  Tim  II' 
Titus  2:12)  were  we  1  known  to  the  pagans,  but  became  intensified,  the 
one  by  Rrowing  into  loyalty  to  Christ,  the  other  through  the  mastew  of 
a  new  Spirit  controlling  the  Christian  against  a  false  freedom  in  though 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  7:  The  Ethical  Ideal  of  the  New  Character 


Seventh  Day  :    The  New  Conscienxe  of  the  World 

I.  It  is  obvious  that  several  of  the  terms  which  we  have  considered 
M  p'L.^rii"'  ■".°'«™P°"'-J'  language.  They  may  have  been  famili" 
S,if„.l^'"«'.''?u""/'''"^"?, '"  ^'""^^  °'"  0'  ">=  «nters  of  Stoical 
philosophy.  But  they  do  not  all  owe  their  introduction  to  him,  for  the 
conceptions  occur  throughout  the  New  Testament.  Chris  ianiy  how- 
ever, gathered  them  up  together  with  the  four  cardinal  Greek  virtues 

fn^?h'S/hv  ',?'"' K^i""''!''.""-  ""'' i^"i«.  "'llowing  her.,  transfom- 
mg  there  by  the  subtle  a  cheray  of  faith  and  love,  and  made  them  in- 
gredients among  other  ncher  virtues  of  its  own  creation  in  the  ne™  oS- 
Z'r.'ivnl','"  Z'i'^:^^"  "°«"'"8  '""■nPh  °f  "hical  nomencTature, 

S.  R„l  uPt"  •'"O"'"  a  conscience  to  the  believer  (Acts  24: 

16;  Rom.  2:15;  Heb.  10:22;  i  Peter  2:19). 

2.  But  not  less  remarkable  is  the  omission  from  the  New  Testament 
1J""S\  '5'  '""""«  '"""  °f  ^"'^  "hi".  The  w™d  hapSs 
(riJ^^rf.)  does  not  occur  in  the  New  Testament,  even  in  the  nSble 
conception  given  it.by  Aristotle  (Eth.  Nic.  x.,  7),  hough  1°  torw  ta 
?i?°f^™!,7«T"'''  "i^'  chief.pursuit  of  li/e,  and  "hat  not^SSf;  S 
«LJ?T„.°'  .?'?{"'  f'"'.^''  .?■■  Epicurean  pleasure.  Selfishness  in  any 
aspect,  even  self-realization"  as  the  aim  of  the  merely  natural  man  is 
antagonistic  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  Seek  first  the  K°ngdSn  ?f  CM 
and  His  righteousness  (Rom.  12:1,  2). 

t,^  T?r'  °'1'^°,  ',f"'^^J  ''J°  "!'  '"■'"'  '<'"'  °f  "«  New  Testament 
(a)  The  wonderfully  rich  and  varied  nomenclature  shows  that  a  crratWe 
power  was  at  work,  ramifying  far  and  wide  in  our  complex  mo^m- 
ture,  and  getting  expression  from  every  source  for  a  very  full  standard 
of  conduct,  (b)  The  catalogues  of  vices  illustrate  th"nature  of  the 
awful  forces  the  new  religion  had  to  face,  and  how  closely  the  moi4l1 
of  the  world  were  studied  (i  Cor.  5:, of.;  Gal.  S :  isiRom  I  :Sff  • 
I  Peter  4:3;  James  and  Revelation  pasiim).   (c)  It  was  positive  includ- 

in^the  ^i^°.5^'  yV"/  "A''?  '^"  ■('T'""  ' ■■  ">•  ="  "f^  cTpIrte  'bSSSse 
H»„v,„  nf  »>,  "L^?^-  Ch'-f'^nxy  was  not  ascetism,  nor  the  renun- 
nnr  =^  ?iff'  T'^i  ''""^--i  ^^J  '.' .""  "<«  »  'y^'""  of  sporadic  virtues, 
nor  an  ineffective  dream  like  Stoicism.  It  professed  to  be  fruit  from  a 
cZr"?'^'".'  '■  ^"""■'  "i'hin  the  heSrt  by  the  Spirit  of  God  in 
Dol^hiiffi  '•  "rl"  'I'  ^"«,"'i".  Snjy"-,  "Christian  Ethics";  E.  v 
tran^ted)  Churches   of  Primitive  Christendom"~soon  to  be 


Sa 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospil 


Study  8:   The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


First  Day:    The  Evil  Condition  of  Home  Life  Among 
Romans  and  Greeks 


I.  Our  home  and  cjur  intercourse  with  immediate  friends  supply  the 
amplest  opportunity  for  the  discipline  of  character.  In  our  conduct 
towards  those  with  whom  we  share  the  intimacies  of  life  three-fourths 
of  the  web  of  destiny  are  woven.  It  is  a  perversion  of  judgment  against 
which  reason  often  protests  to  assign  rank  to  manliood  according  to 
public  performance  alone.  The  region  of  the  commonplace  is  the  bat- 
tleneld  of  character :  and  of  this  region  the  home  forms  the  largest  por- 
tion in  most  lives.  Wherefore  we  desire  to  put  the  Christian  ideal, 
which  has  just  been  outlined,  to  the  searching  test  of  how  i*  was  wrought 
out  in  simple  everyday  life. 

_  2.  The  contemporary  world  seemed  to  have  lost  its  power  of  protect- 
ing human  love  from  imsnrity.  In  spite  of  the  favorable  opinion  of 
Dr.  Hatch  that  "there  was  .n  ancient  Rome,  as  there  is  in  modern  Lon- 
don, a  preponderating  mass  of  those  who  loved  their  children  and  their 
homes,  who  were  good  neighbors  and  ithful  friends,  who  conscien- 
tiously discharged  their  civil  duties,  and  were  in  all  the  current  senses 
of  the  word  moral'"  ("Greek  Ideas,"  etc.,  139,  140),  there  are  only  too 
strong  grounds  for  holding  that  both  in  the  Roman  and  the  Greek 
world  the  home  life  was  degraded.  There  were  of  course  frequent  ex- 
amples of  conjugal  felicity  (how  awful  must  it  have  been  otherwise!), 
but  a  flood  of  immorality  from  the  East  and  from  the  provinces  swept 
oyer  Italy  during  the  later  Republic.  Selfishness  led  to  celibacy,  many 
of  the  finer  spirits  espoused  ascetism,  and  the  emperor  introduced  legis- 
lation to  encourage  marriage,  lest  the  empire  should  become  childless. 

3-  Greece  even  in  the  days  of  her  intellectual  preeminence  had  been 
in  worse  case  than  Rome.  The  wife  was  not  the  equal  of  her  husband, 
and  he,  if  a  man  of  education,  would  consort  with  brilliant  courtesans 
known  as  hetirra,  who  were  accorded  an  admiration  which  it  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  conceive.  "We  must  face  the  fact  that  the  very  period 
which  IS  renowned  in  Greek  literature  and  art  as  that  of  greatest  splen- 
dor was  a  time  also  of  moral  rottenness."  ( Blumner,  "Home  Life  of 
Ancient  Greeks,"  ch.  iv. ;  Lecky.  "European  Morals,"  ch.  v.)  Instead 
of  improving  as  the  years  went  by,  the  life  of  Asia  Minor  and  Greece 
had  lost  Its  restraint,  and  was  quite  depraved  when  the  gospel  was  first 
preached. 


The  Tsuth  of  thk  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  8:  The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Second  Day  :    The  Purity  of  the  Jewish  Home  Inherited 
BY  Christianity 


1.  In  contrast  to  the  heathen  world  the  Hebrew  had  an  almost  ideal 
home  life.  In  the  Old  Testament  ascetism  has  no  place,  virginity  is  no 
virtue,  and  the  family  is  a  token  of  God's  blessing  (Ps.  127).  Rever- 
ence of  parents  by  the  children  is  not  only  enjoined  in  the  Decalogue, 
but  has  a  blessing  attached  (Ex.  20:12).  On  the  whole  these  traits 
arc  preserved  in  later  Judaism,  which  exalted  purity,  and  encouraged 
education;  and  no  finer  pictures  of  the  gracious  and  peaceful  homes 
of  "the  poor"  can  be  found  than  those  in  Luke  I  and  2.  Some  Jewish 
doctors  of  the  law,  it  is  true,  allowed  divorce  for  trifling  cause,  but  there 
were  equally  influential  teachers  who  were  strict,  and  whose  judgment 
would  be  accepted  by  the  average  Jew.    (See  Matt  ig.'Sff.) 

2.  But  Judaism  had  no  great  influence  in  this  respect  upon  the  morals 
of  the  empire.  Indeed  the  Jew  felt  that  his  own  safety  consisted  in 
avoiding  the  pollutions  of  the  heathen  world,  and  we  cannot  be  surprised 
that  not  only  were  marriages  with  unbelievers  forbidden,  but  also  that 
it  was  a  condition  that  a  proselyte  to  Judaism  should  on  his  conversion 
be  separated  from  the  unbelieving  partner,  lest  the  heathen  influences  of 
the  home  should  prove  too  much  for  the  purer  life  of  the  synagogue. 

3.  Christianity  thus  started  with  a  fine  tradition  concerning  mar- 
riage. Its  followers  brought  with  them  a  noble  austerity  in  regard  to 
personal  purity  and  the  sacredness  of  the  home.  Indeed  it  began  as  a 
house  religion.  The  brotherhood  was  a  large  family  which  was  protected 
by  love  against  invasion  by  the  spirit  of  the  world.  As  a  rule  the  or- 
dinary homes  were  not  broken  up,  for  it  was  only  the  few  whom  Jesus 
asked  to  renounce  these  in  order  to  follow  Him  (Luke  14:26).  Hus- 
bands and  wives,  parents  and  children  still  loved  one  another.  The 
husband  who  returned  from  the  love  feast  would  reverence  his  wife 
with  a  gentler  chastity,  and  cherish  his  child  with  a  diviner  aflfection. 
It  is  jirobable  indeed  that  the  worth  of  marriage  was  affected  by  the 
conditions  of  that  age.  Since  there  was  need  to  proclaim  the  gospel 
with  all  haste  to  a  perishing  world,  many  had  to  forsake  their  settled 
homes  (Matt.  19:12),  and  the  expectation  that  Jesus  would  soon  re- 
turn also  had  its  influence  (l  Cor.  7:26-35). 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  8:   The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Third  Day:    The  Christian  Conception  of  Marriage 

1.  In  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus  who  invested  the  marriage 
relation  with  religious  sanction  (Mark  10:6-12),  Paul  ennobles  it  by 
the  highest  possible  comparison.  It  becomes  the  type  of  the  union  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  Church.  Thus  marriage  is  at  once  consecrated  by 
religion,  and  natural  affection  is  thereby  enriched  as  with  the  mellow- 
ness and  color  of  ripened  fruit  (Eph.  5:22-33).  Husband  and  wife  are 
fellow  heirs  of  life.  Therefore  their  home  must  be  pervaded  by  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  and  their  days  should  be  spent  in  good  works  and  the 
practice  of  their  faith  (i  Peter  3:7). 

2.  Far/  duties  are  outlined  especially  for  those  readers  whose 
Gentile  antecedents  had  provided  no  strong  foundation  on  which  to 
build  a  good  home.  A  chaste  and  reverent  love  is  enjoined  on  the  hus- 
band towards  his  wife,  because  she  is  a  part  of  himself.  His  duties 
are  kindly  consideration,  nay,  honor,  just  because  though  they  are  equal 
in  the  sight  of  God  she  needs  his  help  and  protection  (Eph.  5:25,  28; 
I  Peter  3:7)-  Of  the  woman  respectful  submission  is  required,  proba- 
bly a  necessary  injunction  because  through  reaction  from  former  re- 
pression she  might  be  in  danger  of  abusing  her  liberty  (Eph.  5:22,  23; 
I  Peter  3:  1-6).  Modesty  in  mien  and  attire,  a  life  full  of  restraint,  and 
graced  by  good  works  are  becoming  in  a  mother  of  the  true  Israel 
(i  Tim.  2:9-12). 

3.  "In  Pauls  teaching  we  have  all  the  elements  of  the  perception 
that  the  unigue  union  of  marriage  was  also  the  birthplace  of  an  unprece- 
dented and  mcomparable  ethical  culture,  and  precisely  in  the  form  of  a 
union  in  the  faith  was  to  attain  its  highest  development."  (Weizsacker. 
"Apostolic  Age,"  II.,  p.  390.) 

4.  Much  difficulty  was  occasioned  by  the  mixed  marriages  of  Chris- 
tians and  unbelievers.  It  is  dealt  with  in  i  Cor.  7:12-14.  Here  the 
Christian  ideal  moves  on  a  higher  plane  than  the  Jewish.  The  Jew 
said  to  the  proselyte,  Leave  yonr  unbelieving  partner  and  escape  pollu- 
tion. The  Christian,  secure  in  the  power  of  the  gospel,  says.  Overcome 
the  world  by  living  with  your  partner,  wherever  that  is  agreeable  to 
both,  in  order  tlut  the  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Divine  Spirit  work- 
ing in  the  Christian  life  may  soften  the  other's  heart.  Thus  in  mar- 
riage the  creative  power  of  the  new  religion  was  manifested.  Its  very 
sacredness  and  inviolability  makes  it  a  lever  for  propagating  the  faith. 
Christianity  was  not  helpless  in  the  face  of  the  impurity  of  the  world. 
It  proposed  to  conquer  the  world  even  in  the  home. 


The  Truth  of  thi  Aposiouc  Gospei 
Study  8:  The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Fourth  Dav:     Thk  Child;  Purity;  Chivalry;  Woman's 
Dignity 

th^  hir-hJI,""""  ,'a"''.'"-  ■ll"''''  P"'"'',"  ^^^  ^"'  '  constant  rebuke  to 
the  heathen  world-its  abhorrence  of  infanticide  or  the  exposure  of 
f™':t  ."■  '".'"'c  of.  strong  sentiment  against  it  and  severe  repressive 
KnT'.h',^"  "'T"  ™J",./"«*"f''"y  common.  Christianit?  again 
deepened  the  sacredness  of  life.     The  child  becomes  the  figure  of  the 

i«;,eH','fl^'  f  ■  '.L''''  Eph.  6:4).  From  the  new  religion  there 
Zl\  i  'motherhood  of  love,  who  soon  organized  a  system  of  relief 
(See  Lec'ky,  II.   ch   iv  "        "^         '  P""ciple*is  found  in  James  """ 

iJ\  .No  less  characteristic  of  the  Christian  ideal  is  tlie  standard  of 
individual  purity  which  is  consistently  held  forth  in  ivery  part  of  the 
New  Testament.  The  lax  ty  of  morals  made  the  progresi  Sf  the  new 
religion  particularly  difficult,  and  the  .pistles  afford  abundant  evid™c" 

Jever?rn„.nf  ?h  ^'T  , '"i"f."'  '"»''  2'  the  brethren  was  found  in  the 
reversions  of  their  fellow  believers  to  Gentile  sensuality  (i  Thess  4i-8- 
I  Cor  5:6,  7;  10:1-13;  I  Peter  aui,  11;  4:1-6;  Rev.  2:14,  15,  ».  ji)' 

out'i;'"th!s?Chrlstiaf:Ss.^"'  '  "^"  """  "'  '""""^  ""  "™'^'^t 

Plnhl  ..,,.  T  ^^  I  "i""!,"  '''''  'o"^'  '^^  "••■niple  of  gracious  courtesy 
hv  h,".1  if  •  "''■'  '•36-"");  10:38-41),  and  this  was  soon  displayed 
by  his  followers  in  a  fine  chivalry  towards  women.  This  was  all  the 
I^H  ,i,"T''^''''r^/""/^""  P°='''°"  0'  ^oman  in  the  Greek  world 
?Sl  h^H°^"  '■''  °i  "icfadation  from  which  many  of  the  Chr  s- 
lans  had  been  rescued,  afforded  many  delicate  problems  in  respect 
to  her  function  and  worth  in  the  life  of  the  Church  (i  Cor.  7:8;  ii- 
3-0,  14 :34Tr.). 

n„th  '^?"1  ™"""  responded  gladly  to  a  gospel  which  offered  her  so 
C^^^  f  M  *V"''"l''°''''J<'  -"l"  ""^  church.  Not  only  in  the  prov 
han  °1'^=«<'™'»'  "''■"c  the  sex  had  long  enjoyed  higher  privileges 
Phn  >  TJT'  >■•?.  there  honorable  women  not  a  few  (Acts  l6:T4; 
with  a  h^A,,  f  fv.l"^'''.;';  ^f""^  t  wealthy  matron  provided  the  churjh 
with  a  home  (Col.  4:15).  For  others  see  Rom.  16:  i,  3,  especially  that 
extraordinarjr  woman  Priscilla,  who  did  not  preside  over  a  house-church 
but  was  a  missionary,  and  even  taught  the  cultured  Apollos  (Acts  18-' 
2b).  Numbers  of  the  most  ardent  propagandists  of  the  cross  and  of 
Its  most  enduring  martyrs  were  women,  and  this  continued  to  be  the 
case,  very  many  of  them  Gentile  by  birth,  often  indeed  drawn  from 
p  3^r"     '°""''  '  """"''''  "Ausbreitung  des  ChristenthumC 


Thi  Truth  or  the  Apostolic  Gospei, 


Study  8:    The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Fifth  Day:    Slavery  in  the  Pagan  World 

Deed  to  their  hapless   condition,   so  woe-beitone   that    a«    Mnmm«^ 
h»«.r-     "Tt.ll  11  t  P'       '^'"  """  of  matters    n  the  citv  was 

Dobschutz,  "Die  urchristlichen  Gemeinden,"  Appendix  )       ^'     '  ^' 


Thi  Truth  or  ihi  Aposiouc  Gospil 


Study  8:  The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Sixth  Day  :    Christianity's  Advance  Towards  the 
Solution  of  the  Problem  of  Slavery 

.. '•  The  Stoics  did  much  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  slave  by 
dlffusmg  kmdher  sentiments  and  in  particular  by  their  influence  on  in- 
dividual masters;  but  they  were  primarily  philosophers,  their  teaching 

falL^ffh™  f^T^'"='  '"''  "i'"."",?  f"  intellectual  one-sidedness  and 
false  pathos  for  the  woes  of  the  time    (Heinrici). 

,i,^r.fr^'T  ''''''  ',"  '"""nparably  higher  position  in  this  matter.  In 
t'lj  T5't""?'  ^'^V'S  were  part  of  the  family,  for  whom  as  for  his 
children  the  head  of  the  house  was  responsible.  They  shared  the  re- 
ligion of  Israel  and  were  treated  as  human  beings.  But  Judaism  had 
always  remained  more  or  less  isolated,  and  it  seems  to  have  drawn  but 
few  of  Its  proselytes  from  the  slave  ranks.  Humane  as  the  Jews  were 
ofThe"oid  TestMnenf  """■'''""°"  '°  ""  ''"=  question  after  the  close 

3-  Wherein  did  Christianity  make  an  effective  contribution  to  this 
awful  problem?    The  apostles  introduce  no  new  theory  as  to  slavery 

w,  }l'^  j""?  ■"  '"*''  *""'  "'"  '"'"  "i«  """■W  «i"i  the  Jewish  ideal, 
but  they  do  initiate  a  marvelously  original  and  bold  practice.  While 
philosophers  dreamed  the  Christians  accepted  slaves  as  brethren  and 
they  became  new  men  Whether  or  not  he  was  a  "person"  on  earth,  the 
sUve  was  a  citizen  of  the  eternal  Kingdom  of  God,  and  there  and  then 
he  was  ushered  into  a  fellowship  of  love,  which  was  no  theory  but  a 
social  fact  of  tremendous  ethical  power.  The  religious  basis  for  this  is 
g  ven  in  Gal  3:28.  Where  m  all  literature  is  there  a  more  charming 
picture  than  the  letter  of  Paul  to  Philemon?  The  believing  slavTbe- 
comes  a  member  of  a  Christian  home  and  is  treated  as  children  are, 
while  the  unbelieving  slave  rests  upon  the  heart  of  his  master  as  a  life 
to  be  won  for  his  Lord.  What  a  change  has  passed  upon  that  society 
when  master  and  slave  sit  round  a  common  table,  unite  their  oravers 
and  greet  one  another  with  a  kiss  of  love.  Is  it  possible  to  discover 
anywhere  a  finer  delicacy  than  is  attested  by  the  absence  of  all  reference 
i^„^"!l"  i,.t"'^t'  T"'""'"  °*  inscriptions  in  the  Roman  cata- 
combs, though  the  Church  was  reproached  with  having  become  a  refuge 
for  the  poor  and  the  slaves?  '^'"n': 


Th£  Truth  or  tbi  Apostolic  Gospel 

Study  8:  The  Christian  Ideal  of  Domestic  Life 


Seventh  Day  :    Slavery  and  Work 
^eiia^S.^^«^f•Ji;H^^',S;'^i-;|J-  ^^  I.  was^  less 

Its  dynamic  in  my  own  life  and  in  that  of  the  world?  ""at  is 


59 


Thi  Tduth  of  TBI  ArosTOUc  Goim. 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


First  Day:    Christianity  Becomes  an  Illicit  Religion 

1.  We  have  already  seen  that  the  Christian  was  subjected  to  much 
distress  because  of  the  fact  that  as  in  other  ancient  religions  there  was 
also  in  that  of  the  Roman  Empire  a  large  political  factor.  No  good 
patriot  could  abjure  the  religion  of  the  sute.  But  the  case  was  oe- 
cuhaily  aggravated  for  the  Christian  because  the  emperors  were  sup- 
posed to  be  incarnations  of  the  spirit  of  the  empire,  and  divine  honors 
were  paid  to  the  hero-genius  of  imperial  Rome  during  his  lifetime,  and 
after  his  death  he  was  consecrated  with  celestial  dignity.  Such  a  system 
was  bound  to  demoralize  both  the  subjects  who  paid  and  the  monarchs 
who  received  this  homage.  Barring  this  essential  demand  of  worship 
of  the  Mnperor,  there  was  an  easy-going  toleration  of  any  and  every 
superstition  or  cult  that  each  tribe  or  petty  nation  brought  with  it  into 
the  imperial  sjjstem.  Many  thought  that  the  same  god  was  worshiped 
under  these  different  forms,  and  therefore  that  one  was  as  good  as  an- 
other. 

2.  There  was,  however,  one  remarkable  exception.  The  alien  Jew 
lived  aiiart  in  his  own  tribes  throughout  the  cities  of  the  empire,  and 
enjoyed  exemption  from  conformity  to  state  idolatry.  For  some  years 
the  Christian  was  regarded  as  a  Jew  and  shared  in  this  exemption. 
Indeed  he  was  first  persecuted  by  the  Jew  and  looked  to  the  Roman  to 
protect  him  from  men  of  his  own  race  (Acts  18:12-17).  The  powers 
that  be  are  a  restraint  upon  lawlessness  (Rom.  13: 1-7;  i  Peter  2'  13-17) 
But  a  .change  came  ere  long,  and  was  accelerated  by  the  fall  of  Jeru- 
salem in  A.  D.  70.  It  was  manifest  that  the  Christians  were  distinct  from 
the  Jews,  and  that  unlike  them  they  were  not  a  nation,  but  a  "new  and 
wicked,  and  vam  superstition."  So  they  received  no  privileges  Un- 
protected by  any  national  breastwork  they  were  like  a  dangerous  island 
shoal  of  hateful  human  drift  exposed  to  the  sweep  of  the  empire's  out- 
raged patriotism.  In  i  Peter  4:16;  5:9,  we  can  feel  the  ground-swell 
of  the  comjng  storm,  and  in  Revelation  it  has  broker  ''n  all  its  fury 
Again  and  again  through  the  early  centuries  imperial  pirsecution  thun- 
dered upoi  this  island  in  the  ocean  of  paganism,  but  it  merely  cast  the 
beach  hifrher,  and  made  a  protection  which  its  waves  could  not  pass 
(See  Lecky;  Westcott's  "Epistles  of  St.  John,"  Essay,  "The  Two  Em- 
pires.") 


60 


Tai  Truth  or  ihi  Afostouc  Gosm. 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in   Public  Life 


Second  Day:    Difficulties  for  the  Christian   Patriot 

firit  tlm^  ^Hi^lfj'  "'-ST  "Parated  patriotism  from  religion  for  the 
G<^  is  another     ¥hr«,,'.°.f"  """"u"  "  ?"'  """«;  homage  iaid  to 

had  his  duties  to  perform  to  ordered  government  Now  when  J^\.„„ 
sider  the  trials  to  which  he  was  expoJed,  U^  w™!  aDoea^  that  1  w,.°.n" 
immense  accomplishment  that  he  sRouId  hav"  rema'ned  lova  Th.re 
was  much  of  course  that  he  could  admire,  especiaTy"?heJo«Jmem 
cU^,'  TVT''  '■"■  "  "?'  0"  ""=  "hoie  a  stab  e  power  makhTfS 
the  Heifi?«l    ""^'f """  "''"i; '?  •«  "  i"«mation  of  the  w"rid  spirit 

^/rr'J"'^  continued  to  pray  for  him  in  their  daily  ser?«  even  while  th^ 

Sjns=r^s-g„l^-HiSf??s^;:n  ^SS 
de^r;s^t;«ii-^}r^^!;:^/Sa7:?«e^'"^hi's^^s 

Zf'i^ii"'  ^'"  °'  "!^'  P?'"°''=  "*■•  which  i^enciuragd  by^he 
profession   of  arms.     It   might   seem   at   first   sight   stranw   that  the 

a™v"R,^''°"  «°»P'"  ""^i"  i''  ««"ce  love  shou  d  be  f?md  in  the 
'  Phil  ,  .^^'"i'nS  ,f '  °««"  and  soldiers  were  Christian  (Act"  to: 
I.  rnil.  1.13)    and  they  would  be  peculiar  y  heroic  because  their  VAn 

tZw^^'TlS  °'""  ^""^  """-  '"'<>  <'''^"  collision  with  the  do  atro"; 
otSwise  Yet'Tf  ChH^i.""  -''"^^""'  """^'^  <>"  ""  standards  and 
arJliT'Thisrs^hi'tl^frS-i^sd^I^^e  SS^'vic'Sry'""'"*    '"""  '"= 


Thi  Truth  op  thi  Apoitolic  Gospil 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


Third  Day:    Temptations  in  Businkss  and  Social  Life 

I.  Many  of  the  hardeit  temptations  of  the  average  Christian  arose 
from  his  being  called  upon  not  to  flee  from  idolatry,  but  to  face  it,  for  it 
met  him  everywhere.  He  did  business  as  before,  but  his  trade  was  af- 
fected by  it,  several  occupations  being  dependent  on  temple  worship,  the 
practice  of  magic,  or  heathen  rites.  We  have  early  proof  of  such  in- 
terference in  Acts  19:23-41.  Various  arts  of  life  must  have  occasioned 
scruples  of  conscience  to  those  who  when  they  became  Christians  had  to 
earn  a  livelihood  at  their  old  trade.  Early  Christian  art  in  the  Cau- 
combs  shows  how  with  the  growing  years  painters  and  sculptors  of  no 
mean  order  consecrated  their  brush  or  chisel  to  Christian  service,  the 
new  spirit  gradually  transforming  the  old  pagan  devices,  blotting  out 
unworthy  forms,  and  creating  fresh  designs  with  Christian  symbolism. 

3.  In  the  pursuit  of  ordinary  business  the  Christian  was  liable  to  be 
brought  into  the  law  courts.  The  Jews  had  been  granted  special 
tribunals  of  their  own,  before  which  they  could  come  to  terms  with  a 
fellow  Jew,  but  no  such  privilege  of  course  was  enjoyed  by  adherents 
of  an  illicit  religion.  Unbelievers  took  advantage  of  the  Christian's 
passivity  to  drag  him  into  public  on  false  charges,  and  the  spirit  in 
which  this  is  to  be  endured  is  given  in  1  Peter  4:15.  16.  Scandals, 
however,  arose  when  under  the  old  habit  of  litigation  brother  went  to 
law  with  brother  before  a  heathen  judge  (i  Cor.  6:5-7).  Doubtless  the 
words  of  Jesus  (Matt.  5:38ff.,  18:15-20)  set  the  standard  in  such 
matters. 

3.  A  graver  source  of  danger  lay  in  the  social  intercourse  of  the 
believer  with  his  former  associates.  The  cities  of  Asia  Minor  and 
Greece  were  full  of  clubs  for  every  conceivable  purpose,  religion,  com- 
merce, social  enjoyment,  and  burial.  To  cut  one's  self  off  from  club  life 
was  to  cease  to  be  a  citizen  of  the  world,  and  to  the  blithe  Greek  that 
was  a  serious  matter.  There  were  two  perils  connected  with  it.  Idola- 
try was  entrenched  in  this  social  custom  as  in  a  fastness.  The  club 
house  was  often  an  idol  temple  and  the  scene  of  such  revellings  as 
those  of  I  Peter  4:3,  4.  Hence  Paul  forbids  Christians  to  share  in 
these  feasts  (i  Cor.  10:1-22),  and  enjoins  them  to  find  their  fellowship 
in  the  society  of  the  brethren,  where  chaste  love  reigns  (cf.  Rev.  a: 
i.^.  14).  As  to  eating  meat  exposed  in  the  markets  after  it  had  been 
offered  to  idols,  Paul  says  that  the  law  of  love  must  be  the  standard 
here  also  (i  Cor.  8:1-13). 


63 


The  Tiura  of  ihi  AroaTOLic  GoiriL 
Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


Fourth  Day:    The  Victory  over  the  Passion  tor  the 
Gaues 

I.  Nowheredid  the  n«w  religion  face  heavier  odds  than  when  it  met 
tne  nerce  passion  of  the  populace  for  games  and  fladiatorial  shows 
And  yet  we  have  hardly  a  trace  of  it  in  the  New  Testament ;  not  be- 
cause the  struggle  was  not  keen,  for  the  people  of  Rome  were  shouting, 
panem  el  circenies.  The  thirst  for  blood  grew  so  fast  by  what  it  fed 
upoti.  that  even  in  the  first  century  it  could  be  slaked  only  by  an  un- 
ceasing sllam  from  animals  and  men.  By  the  thousands  they  came 
to  their  de-ath.  while  Rome  in  all  her  social  ranks  kept  holiday  in  the 
great  Colosseum,  which  gave  shelter  under  silken  canopies  to  over 
fifty  thousand  spectators.  The  earth  was  scoured  for  the  lions,  bears 
and  elephants  wherewith  variety  might  be  added  10  the  carnage,  for  the 
viler  the  games,  the  bloodier  and  more  refinedly  shocking  the  deaths, 
the  greater  the  zest  not  only  of  coarse  slaves,  but  of  aristocratic  ladies 
1  he  emperors  gave  the  people  what  they  craved,  but  they  ruined  the 
manhood  of  the  empire,  for  this  horrid  cruelty  soon  spread  from  Rome 
to  the  provinces.  Some  voices  it  is  true  were  raisjil  m  protest  against 
the  gladiatorial  combats,  but  they  were  of  no  avail,  and  the  fact  that 
edicts  of  emperors  were  ineffectual  to  cope  with  the  evil  finally  till  the 
reign  of  Honorius,  A.  D.  404,  shows  how  the  populace  were  absorbed 
m  this  passion. 

2.  Silently  and  with  immense  moral  suasion  the  gospel  draws  the 
brethren  away  from  the  amphitheatre  one  by  one,  and  as  each  turns 
from  a  scene  which  he  must  quit  forever,  it  protects  him  with  a  shield 
of  holler  fellowship.  Life  is  worth  too  much  to  God  to  be  cruelly 
shed  in  order  to  satisfy  a  multitude.  Christ  has  died  for  the  slave  and 
the  barbarian  gladiator.  Even  the  dumb  animals  are  a  part  of  the 
creation  which  is  to  share  in  the  blessings  of  redemption   (Rom.  8; 

..3-  ."J.h''^'  «»'""  display  more  vividly  than  any  mere  philosophical 
disquisition  the  abyss  of  depravity  into  which  it  is  possible  for  human 
nature  to  sink.  They  furnish  us  with  striking  proofs  of  the  reality  of 
the  moral  progress  we  have  attained,  and  they  enable  us  in  some  degree 
to  estimate  the  rrgenerating  influence  that  Christianity  has  exercised 
m  the  world.  For  the  destruction  of  the  gladiatorial  games  is  all  its 
work.  Philosophers  indeed  might  deplore  them,  gentle  natures  might 
shrink  from  their  contagion,  but  to  the  multitude  they  possessed  a 
fascination  which  nothing  but  the  new  religion  could  overcome" 
(Lecky.  I,.  282;  see  also  Lanciani's  "Ruins  and  Excavations  of  Ancient 
Rome,    369-374) 


T»  TsvTH  or  THi  ArotTouc  Goim. 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


Fifth  Day:    A  Trlk  and  a  False  Isolation 


I.  Christianity  met  this  craving  for  amusement  by  a  stern  cf.ll  to 
higher  work.  The  gospel  has  a  strenuous  ideal  (Luke  I4:^ff.).  Re- 
ligious enthusiasm,  even  speaking  with  tongues,  counts  for  little  without 
the  works  of  love  (Matt.  13:30,  3i;  Luke  13:23-37;  i  Cor.  14:13). 
There  was  no  place  for  drones  in  a  community  whose  duty  was  urgent 
to  preach  the  gospel  (3  Thess.  3:6-15).  This  heightening  of  the  value 
of  life  and  of  time  was  an  immense  moral  advance  in  an  empire  where 
only  the  slave  toiled.  Christianity  allied  herself  wtih  the  needy  and  with 
unpopular  causes,  when  the  road  to  life  lay  that  way.  She  showed  a 
heroic  indifference  to  clamor,  a  "splendid  isolation."  Like  their  Mas- 
ter the  disciples  refused  to  bow  down  and  worship  Satan  in  order  to 
win  the  world.  In  the  long  run  it  is  just  by  this  course  that  true  vic- 
tories over  the  world  are  still  gained. 

3.  There  were  also  subtle  intellectual  tendencies  which  threatened 
the  ethical  standard  and  endangered  the  spiritual  life  of  the  brethren. 
That  world  had  its  intellectual  cliques  with  initiation  into  mysteries 
and  esoteric  doctrines,  and  many  wished  to  make  the  gospel  another 
"myster]-,"  the  more  abstruse  doctrines  being  of  such  a  nature  that  the 
common  man  would  take  no  interest  in  them.  In  the  second  century 
these  intellectual  aristocrats  separated  themselves  outwardly  from  the 
Christian  Church  and  formed  the  schools  of  the  "Gnostics,"  some  of 
them  pure  in  their  morals,  others  ascetic,  others  gravely  licentious,  but 
all  claiming  a  superior  knowledge  of  the  truth.  That  these  schools  de- 
sired to  be  called  Christian  is  a  high  tribute  to  the  impression  that  the 
gospel  had  made  upon  the  world.  Fundamentally  these  systems  were 
corrupt.  They  left  no  room  for  ethical  endeavor,  for  redemption  from 
sin,  or  the  Christian  conception  of  God.  They  were  not  truly  Christian. 
If  Gnosticism  had  fastened  itself  on  Christianity  it  would  have  destroyed 
iL  It  was  a  parasite  and  had  to  be  torn  oflF.  For  its  beginnings  sec 
£ph,  4:14;  Col.  3:8,  18;  I  John  2:18,  19,  33;  4:3,  3;  5:6. 


Thi  Thuth  or  thi  Apoitolic  Goim, 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


SixTi!  Day:    The  Failure  of  the  PiiiLosoniER  to  Appre- 
ciate ClIRlSTIANITV 

.ki  s.l'.  ?■""  ""  r"".«'"  »  '°"y  comment  on  phil.  ...phy  th,i  durin. 
ht  firil  iwo  centuries  its  best  representatives  were  a:  uch  small  pan! 
to  learn  what  this  new  religion  me:inl.  and  t,,  u.-d  with  conlemit  o? 
worse  a  body  of  people  in  wfiose  moni  enden.^  ,  th-y  should  have  dis- 
cerned some  affinity  with  their  own  ideals.  F..K-.e,„,.  Pliny  Mar.  • 
Aurelius,  Lucian  even  the  physician  Galen,  mnM  synii  .li  ,-„•  0/  ,1) "  " 
not  understand  Christianity.  If  it  is  not  emir.ly  i.in.'t,.  ,  ,  XJ  ]  "' 
They  cannot  deny  that  there  is  an  irredunU.  «..rj  ,..,..  '..l.ere  nl'  ts 
heart  Pliny  and  Galen  testify  to  the  high  mo.il  qiwliy  <,,  il.'livJs  of 
the   brethren,  their   self-sacrifice,   their  purity,   ih.i.-   Iw'.o     .„   "h4 

or  national  God,  Christianity  is  for  ihem  an  unreasonable  ailie.sm.  Tlicy 
T.'!^'"^  close  enough  to  understand  this  "third  class,"  thi,  mptrium 
iH  im^eno,  which  on  their  own  confession  was  draining  away  t"e  life 
/^Tn^*'ZiT)'",  '""P'"-  (Scf  Heinrici."Das  Urchrist?nS.')  The 
.VTu  V^'t'i'^""  *".""'  those  philosophers  did  not  valu^  hi  facts 
tSL^^^!tr:'yA\Z'l'  "",'?">'  '"  Christianity.     Almost  every  man  of 

.unTr..i,ion,n(^L"^. •""""'  """L'  "'  '"'•'"  P"-^'"  '"  "«  mornis  and 
superstitions  of  the  time,  since  they  were  in  his  view  part  of  the  neces- 
sary environment  of  the  life  of  the  common  people  He  knew  the  r 
worth  and  was  not  led  astrav,  but  either  his  knowledge  was  t«  s^cculi- 
mann°/„"  hT"'  "?  '''"!.'?  h'  '"  'i  ""  '"'I'  P°wc?to  refo™  wul.r 
Sf  better  th"ng,."""""     '"  '^'  ^'""'''"  ■"  ""  "'°''<'  '""^  »P"n  Unci's 

r-^on"?^'"^'"'''^  "'"'  ^"  •*'","'  ''">"  since  then  only  too  gnod 
The  ed,?n.ed  T"*.^  "?'''/  "-"P'?'"'  '«>'"«  'h'  intellectual  world. 
The  educated  inan  often  tends  to  look  upon  life  as  a  curious  object  for 
investigation  He  does  not  always  collect  more  facts  than  are  necessa?^ 
fac  "of  ^i'h/^tW.^l^  doe,  he.always  put  the  proper  valC^on IK 
tacts  ot  lilef  Does  he  give  sufficient  cred  t  to  the  immense  latent 
power  on  the  religious  and  moral  side  of  human  nature?  So  wc  ask  the 
college  inan,  What  is  the  worth  of  your  ideals?  Do  they  geT  down  tS 
and  inspire  the  work-a-day  world  of  common  men? 


«S 


The  Truth  op  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  9:    The  Christian  in  Public  Life 


Seventh  Day  :    Review  and  Problem 


I.  We  may  review  the  situation  and  state  our  problem.  Christianity 
enters  the  vvorld  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  revival  of  religious  in- 
terest, but  little  to  satisfy  that  interest,  a  world  that  was  morally  de- 
praved to  an  unprecedented  degree,  and  yet  a  world  in  which  many  noble 
ideals  of  humanity  lay  unproductive  in  many  minds.  Impotent  pathos 
stood  over  against  ascetism.  Suddenly  the  gospel  is  preached,  and  its 
followers  are  not  unreasonably  identified  by  the  Gentile  world  with 
Judaism.  But  Judaism  did  not  supply  the  ntw  energy,  for  it  had  been 
ineflfective  itself  in  moulding  the  morals  of  that  world  to  higher  ends. 
Christianity  is  recruited  from  the  intelligent  middle  classes,  with  a 
large  number  of  slaves  and  outcasts,  and  a  sprinkling  from  ihe  highest 
ranks.  But  it  offers  no  better  terms  to  the  rich  than  to  the  poor,  to  the 
intellectual  than  to  the  unlettered.  Its  ethical  demand  is  frotn  the  begin- 
ning utterly  stringent.  To  face  a  world  given  over  to  lust  with  an 
inviolable  law  of  purity  is  even  to-day  regarded  by  some  as  visionary; 
to  fiffht  the  luxury  of  that  world  and  its  mammonism  with  such  a  finely 
tempered  weapon  as  the  gentle  Christian  spirit  might  have  seemed  to 
court  defeat  from  a  coarse  and  ostentatious  age :  to  dare  to  resist  i>oint 
blank  the  passion  for  lustful  amusement  and  bloody  gstr"*^  was  in  i.he 
view  of  common  sense  the  height  of  folly:  to  cut  right  ■  .5  the  social 
strata  and  establish  a  brotherhood  upon  moral  and  spi.  ..ual  affinities 
without  -asting  everjrday  relationships  into  confusion,  and  to  exalt  la- 
bor to  a  place  of  dignity,  was  to  show  wonderful  powers  of  organization. 
And  the  total  result  was  a  stupendous  moral  creation.  Even  had  the  ef- 
fort been  short-lived,  what  finer  flowering  of  virtue  has  there  ever  been? 
But  the  dynamic  did  not  spend  its  force  with  the  passing  of  the  first 
generation.  The  second  century  was  no  more  afraid  of  spiritual  venture 
than  the  first,  and  the  Christian  ideal  spread  over  the  world.  Whence 
came  this  new  standard  of  conduct  and  -.ts  results  in  moral  heroism? 
Why  were  Judaism  with  its  prestige  of  reliftion  and  its  imperial  privi- 
leges. Stoicism  intellectually  and  socially  well  advantaged,  and  all  other 
ritual  and  religious  systems,  so  ineffective  in  grappling  with  their  pres- 
ent distress?  The  Christians  had  learned  what  life  is — its  worth,  its 
sin,  its  possibility  of  renewal.  Whence  came  that  knowledge?  They 
said  that  these  things  had  come  home  to  them  when  the  good  news  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ  had  been  preached  to  them  (Rom.  1:14-17). 


66 


Thi  Tiuth  ok  THi  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  lo:    Great  Personalities 


First  Day:    Impressive  Characters  Appear  in  this 
Brotherhood  During  a  Sterile  Age 

1.  Any  religion  or  society  is  to  be  judged  by  the  ureatness  nl  ih, 
men  whom  .t  produces.  Until  these  arise  to  gather  up  inSselves  he 
with  ,1,  "l ■"'■'"  ""  I"'  !?  «'"  emphasis  to^the  winged  words  charged 
t^  ,h,^n  •'  '""",  l*""  "".''"'"  ''P  '°  liP'  ^nd  '°  "nbody  the  answer 
iLi  T?'"*'  "i""  ^°'"/  ?'  ""^  ""-Itifde,  the  movement  does  not  geJ 
shape  They  understand  the  force  of  its  conceptions.  In  th^ir  word, 
gesture,  energy,  and  character  the  idea  has  its  clothing  Its  oower  ?s  to 
be  measured  by  the  conviction  which  those  into  whose  iE^Tt  is  ii 
wrought  can  mspire  in  others  as  lo  its  worth. 

2.  Nothing  is  more  characteristic  of  the  living  nower  of  rhri« 
t.an.ty  than  that  it  has  thrown  up  time  and  again  all  down  its  h^toJv 
out  of  the  depths  of  ti.e  society,  some  man  onmmenserp"rtual  force' 
who,  owing  httle  or  nothing  to  adventitious  conditions  sich  as  bSh 
?i^^^    '''"*•  ■'■''■"""'"4 J''.'  ;'°''<'  "'"^  ''P'"'"^'  i<l">s.  and  renews  its  re- 

ha7h4en  smS'  wS"S,"'  l'"'  "■  '^"  °'  '-«>"  "™'^  the"Seavens 
nas  oeen  siuaaed  with  bright  stars  in  every  age,  though  there  ari. 
peculiarly  brilliant  clusters  at  different  periSds,  as  n  the  earlv  cen 
tunes,  the  reformation  epoch,  and  the  century  that  haslust  closed  B« 
It  was  from  the  brightest  of  these  clusters  fhat  the  Church  started  on 

rulr?  "T'  T  "i-  ^°  '«'  """■•'Is  so  manv  example,  of  high 
character  and  noble  endeavor  as  the  apostolic  period.  ' 

ditinJo7the'  limVf^  "counted  for  by  the  historical  and  moral  con- 
niSLS  T-    ,     ■'•""  ^''"P'  J"''"  "«  Baptist,  Judaism  liad 

produced  no  prophet  for  centuries,  and  the  revival  of  religious  ideals 
nrnnlf  »P°"'«  ^"^  l^yo"-)  anything  evcu  in  the  most  classic  days  of 
prophecy.  And  Hebrew  prophecy  itself  has  to  be  explained  "In  afl  the 
religious  history  of  mankind  there  is  nothing  that  can  li  comoa^ed  to 
the  prophetic  order  in  Israel"  (A.  B.  Davidson ).  Nor  warcontem" 
porary  paganism  more  productive  of  great  characters.    Out  o    a  per^^ 

an  Fn^l^S'"'"  "  ",".""'''  ""!?  '  ?""  »"  ""  '^'«'  -  Plutarch  a  Senec? 
an  Epic  etus,  or  a  Marcus  Aurelius;  these  are  the  best  examples  of  an 

?lbert"s?irri  oXp^Lt"""""'-    '''^"■™  "'"'  "°'  '"^  '•"'  '-" 


67 


Thi  Truth  of  tbi  Apostolic  Gospb. 


Study  lo:    Great  Personalities 


Second  Day:    Jesus  Elicits  Unshaken  Loyalty  in  Men 
OF  Heroic  Mould 

1.  In  the  men  of  the  apostolic  period  there  is,  as  we  shall  see,  a  wide 
range  of  character,  but  a  common  feature  it  their  overwhelmmg  energy. 
They  threw  themselves  into  their  mission  with  unflinching  courage.  It 
is  difficult  for  us  to  estimate  correctly  the  moral  heroism  of  the  first  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus.  They  may  not  have  had  great  worldly  prospects,  but  they 
abandoned  all  they  had  (Matt.  I9:27ff.).  Doubtless  thev  expected  some 
return  (Mark  10:35-37),  even  in  the  present,  though  the  fact  that  they 
clung  to  their  Master  as  they  saw  that  they  were  to  be  disappomted 
should  relieve  them  of  a  suspicion  of  having  followed  Him  from  un- 
worthy motives.  Consider  the  demands  of  diacipleship  (Luke  I4:«). 
It  was  sufficiently  exacting  during  the  year  n{  popularity  in  Galile^  but 
a^ter  they  learned  of  His  coming  death  sh.  -  iiopes  m««  have  suffered 
collapse.  There  is  something  pitiful  if  it  •lere  not  heroic  m  the  scene  m 
Gethsemane  (Luke  22:49-51).  Here  is  a  hamdful  of  mem  who  have 
thrown  over  their  patriotism  and  their  religiow  traditions  fcw  the  sake 
of  One  who  they  had  hoped  would  be  the  Me^iah,  and  He  is  to  die 
and  leave  them  10  the  hatred  of  their  own  people  Even  at  tliu  moment 
they  obey  Jesus  though  they  still  see  a  chance  of  cutting  their  way 
thnwgh  their  enemies  and  escaping  among  the  olive  trees.  They  must 
have  been  men  of  wonderful  spiritual  penetration,  and  Christ  must  have 
inspired  them  with  supreme  love,  when  their  loyalty  was  tenacious 
amidst  this  wreck  of  their  lives. 

2.  But  this  devotion  to  Jesus  is  no  less  constant  through  the  re- 
verses and  disappointments  of  the  following  decades.  And  these  men 
were  no  ordinary  characters :  they  have  become  the  spiritual  guides  of 
the  world.  Yet  they  glory  in  calling  themselves  slaves  of  Jesus  Christ. 
They  were  so  absorbed  in  the  pursuit  of  the  unseen  kingdom  which  He 
preached  that  they  flung  themselves  upon  danger.  A  throbbing  love  to 
Christ  drives  them  through  every  wave  of  opposition.  There  is  no 
saving  of  their  own  lives,  no  selfishness,  no  grudging  labor,  no  careful 
balancing  of  accounts,  no  weariness  of  the  toil,  no  claim  of  merit,  noth- 
ing of  hireling  service.  Those  first  missionaries  of  the  go»p»!  are 
almost  prodigal  of  all  they  have,  for  the  best  they  can  give  is  toft  little 
for  their  Master  (2  Cor.  5:14).  The  nobler  the  character  and  the  more 
varied  the  endowments  of  these  men,  the  more  glorious  must  have  been 
the  Figure  who  constrained  their  loyalty. 


68 


The  Txuth  or  the  Apostouc  Gospil 


Study  lo:    Great  Personalities 


Third  Day:     Stephen  and  Barnabas 

I.  We  shall  consider  some  of  the  leading  characters  of  the  New 
Testament.  Slephtn.  the  first  martyr,  was  unquestionably  one  of  the 
inost  powerful  factors  in  the  development  of  primitive  Christianity,  for, 
though  his  influence  on  Paul  has  sometimes  hetn  overestimated,  he  was 
the  first  to  see  that  if  the  message  of  the  gospel  should  be  confined 
within  old  Jewish  customs,  the  new  wine  would  burst  the  old  bottles 
His  greatness  is  displayed  both  by  his  insight  (Acts  7)  and  his  readi- 
ness for  heroic  measures  (Acts  6:8,  11,  13,  14).  Jew  as  he  was.  he  rose 
above  the  limitations  of  his  race,  and  reading  as  no  one  vet  had  done  the 
purpose  of  God's  revelation  to  the  world,  he  ttlLs  his  hearers  that  the 
work  of  the  Jewish  nation  as  such  is  done  (7ol-5,-il.  They  must  give 
way  to  the  new  Israel.  The  earthly  temple,  its  ritual,  and  the  legal  cus- 
toms are  to  be  displaced  by  a  wider  Temple  of  God  m  the  hearts  of 
men,  Stepheii  was  the  most  winsome  man  of  the  brotherhood  (Acts  6: 
.1,  8).  Conspicuous  for  wi.sdom  and  for  faith,  hi-  could  adjust  delicate 
issues.  Prudent  and  devout,  his  courage  flowed  like  a  steady  stream, 
never  breaking  over  shallows.  His  davs  were  few  upon  the  earth,  but 
his  character  was  one  of  the  choicest  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  for  none  per- 
haps had  so  much  of  the  mind  of  Jesus  (.*\cts  7:60). 

2.  Barnabas  was  also  a  glory  to  that  early  group.  Though  he  he- 
longed  to  a  priestly  family  (Acts  4:.i6)  he  triumphed  over  his  class 
prejudices,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  associate  himself  with  the  mission 
to  the  Gentiles.  A  man  of  substance  he  was  an  example  of  liberality, 
and  did  not  scorn  to  work  with  his  (^wn  hands  for  a  living  (i  Cor.  g:' 
6),  Unlike  Paul  he  seems  never  to  have  been  regarded  as  a  party  raani 
but  retained  the  confidence  of  the  older  wing  of  the  Church  (Acts  9:27- 
Gal.  2:  iff.).  Not  less  creditable  to  his  character  was  his  willingness  to 
be  subordinate  to  Paul,  though  he  had  been  an  older  disciple,  and  had 
done  much  to  pave  the  way  for  the  former  persecutor  on  his  entrance 
"Jto  the  Church.  He  had  his  failings  it  is  true  (Acts  l5:37-.'i9).  but 
Paul  pays  him  a  high  tribute  in  the  words.  "rfe«  Barnabas"  (Gal 
2:13). 


69 


The  Truth  or  the  ArosTouc  Gosm 


Study   lo:    Great  Personalities 


F(  '  RTH  Day:    James  and  Peter 


1.  James  was  the  head  of  the  conservative  element  in  the  Church. 
and  seems  to  have  clung  more  t<>  his  Jewish  upbringing  than  any  of 
the  early  leaders.  Living  in  Jerusalem  he  was  a  stranger  to  the  world 
outside  Jewry  of  the  Palestinian  order.  He  was  afraid  of  the  Grntiles 
and  of  their  contaminating  customs  (Acts  ig  :i3ff. ;  Gal.  2:12),  and  was 
suspicious  of  progress.  He  seems  to  have  been  slow  to  grasp  the  full 
reach  of  a  principle,  or  even  to  read  character  (Mark  3:31 ;  John  7:5). 
but  he  was  devotedly  loyal  to  the  past  in  which  God  had  betn  gracious 
unto  him,  and  was  reluctant  to  move  beyond  it.  He  nevertheless  al- 
lowed the  facts  of  God"s  grace  to  lead  him.  Steadfastly  anchored  to  his 
old  religious  life  lie  was  yet  more  true  to  God  and  to  Jesus  as  Messiah, 
and  under  the  recital  of  the  facts  of  Paul's  missionary  success  atnong 
the  Gentiles,  he  swung  nmnd  to  .1  position  from  which  he  could  reach 
out  to  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  and  wish  them  Godspeed  on 
their  journey.  It  was  a  power  outside  Judaism  which  led  James  to  do 
this  (Gal   aigff.). 

2.  In  Peter  we  first  meet  the  leader  of  primitive  Christianity.  He 
was  a  man  of  action,  masterful  and  impulsive,  and  became  a  repre- 
sentative not  only  among  the  Jewish  Christians,  but  also  in  the  G«itile 
churches  (r  Peter  i.i).  Sensitive  to  hi'  ■iurrnundings  he  seems  often 
10  have  taken  steps  before  he  realized  the  practical  consequences  of  his  de- 
cision, and  he  hesitated  to  carry  them  at  once  to  their  logical  conclusiems. 
as  Paul  with  his  ruthless  logical  consistency  wou'd  do  (Gal.  2:ii-H^V 
He  had  a  buoyant  and  generous  nature,  fearless,  dictatorial,  hot  withal 
against  impurity  (r  Peter  4  and  5).  and  devoted  to  his  Master  in  sptt* 
of  lapses  (Mnrk  14:^9).  He  was  the  first  to  make  open  confession  atf 
Jesus  as  Messiah,  and  his  gospel  which  underlies  Mark  gave  the  type  to 
the  preaching  of  the  life  of  Jesus  of  Mazarefi  (Mark  8:291.  Neither 
profound  nor  imaginative.  Peter  became  a  man  of  rock-like  nature 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  impression  of  him  that  remained  in  the 
Church  (Matt  16:18;  Luke  22:32).  no  less  than  that  he  owed  nis 
strength  to  Jesus  Christ   (Acts  3:12). 


The  Tul'th  or  thi  AposToLir  Gospel 


Study   I o: 'Great    I'crsonaWties 


Fifth  Day  :    Joii.v  :  Bijii.t  on  tiif.  Fixndation  ok  Apostles 

AND   ProPHKTS 

I.  John  docs  not  occupy  :i  large  place  in  the  recorded  liisi„ry  oi  the 
early  Church  if  we  omit  the  Joha.mm,-  wrilings.  which  for  ,ur  i>arpo,f 
we  may  not  assume  to  1«-  hi>.  Bn.  h.  >vas  one  of  the  mo,t  intimate 
circle  of  Jesus,  and  along  with  Pctc-r  ,-,inies  to  the  front  .iter  Pentecos' 
i^h'„' .v  i  ^u'-'v  "'v'*-'-"  ,  Wl«.ever  verdict  i,  pa««d  upon  the 
authorship  ol  the  fourth  gospel,  we  may  infer  that  Jota  the  apostle 
presented  in  his  preaching  a  different  s,rte  of  the  character  rf  Jesus  from 
l-eter  s  view.  He  was  probably  a  mysti,  intense  in  his  lov-s  and  liate- 
Mis  nature  w-as  deep,  and  we  may  Mipp.>se  tn»  he  was  mor.^  res»^.sivc 
Maste""''  °  'l'»<:>Pl<-  1°  'he  proioundest   truths  in  the  mintl  of  his 

2.  None  of  these  men  would  have  iillamed  immortal  lame  ipan  from 
he  gospel  which  thev  served.  It  was  their  privilege  ami  ilieir  response 
to  their  opportunity  hat  made  them  what  thev  liecame  Tii.-  ap.«tle<ras 
a  man  who  inade  n,]  ;Jaims  for-  hirawlf :  Ik-  was  simply  a  iransmitter  of 
the  word  of  Jesus  to  the  world  i  Mark  ? :  14,  15  ;  i  Cor  v  3-1 1  l  VViii^ 
these  m^  have  seized  upon  their  own  ciuntrymen-  mawnation  for 
their  samtliness?  Are  there  not  to-<lay  multitudes  whose  ciiaracle'  i^ 
the  equal  of  theirs  -  James  was  narrow.  Pete-  dangerously  .mpulwve 
neither  of  them  possessing  the  hnely  lialancetl  mind  which  the  Greek 
moralists  taught  to  be  the  sign  of  tlie  perfect  man.  Willi  the  -.xcepnon 
of  Stephen  all  seem  to  have  lost  at  ~ome  linv  their  m.>ral  footing 
1  hey  impr^sed  the  world  l)eeaHse  v  he  message  they  Ijeouoht  \ 
tnarvelous  Person  behind  them  i^  th-  -mly  eyplanation  of  their  influence 
(Acts  4:1,1).  The  steel  of  their  chsn-acter  had  li-en  tempered  to  the 
finest  issues  in  His  presence.     They  h»d  liaihed  their  swords  in  heaven. 

^.  The  apostolic  age,  howe^.■r,  presems  not  only  a  few  super-eminent 
peaks  arising  out  of  the  depths,  h„t  a  whole  plateau  of  elevated  character 
and  endowment  Prophecy,  which  had  heen  so  long  dormant,  awoke 
again  to  life  I  Matt,  10:41:  A.ls  11:^7:  15:32:  i  Cor,  12 ■-•8:  14-jQff  ■ 
fcph  2:20:4:11;  Rev,  10:7:22:6,9).  There  were  many  men  richly  en- 
dowed with  the  Spirit  of  God.  not  an  oflicial  class,  who  proclaimed  to  the 
Church  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  They  spoke  in  the  name  of  Jesus  and 
claimed  a  divine  revelation.  Had  they  really  a  word  fra«i  the  living 
(.Kid?  If  not  how  are  they  tn  be  accounted  for'  To  den»  that  thev  had 
is  simply  to  deny  a  fundamental  assumption  of  the  New  Testament 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gosm. 


Study  lo:    Great  Personalities 


Sixth  Dav:    Paul;  His  Training,  Work  and  Character 

1.  Paul  stands  by  himself.  Not  only  had  he  transcendent  genius, 
and  the  best  educational  advantages,  but  he  had  a  vision  of  the  risen 
Jesus  which  put  his  apostleship  in  a  different  order  front  that  of  those 
who  had  been  with  Jesus  on  earth.  His  training  at  Tarsus  gave  him 
insight  into  the  Greek  mind;  he  was  a  favorite  pupil  of  the  Pharisees 
(Gal.  1:13,  14;  Acts  9:1-9),  and  his  Roman  citizenship  made  him  an 
imperialist  in  thought  (Rom.  1:14-16).  He  was  thus  fitted  more  than 
any  other  individual  to  put  his  stamp  upon  Christianity.  He  has  the 
breadth  of  the  educated  man,  and  the  outlook  of  a  man  of  the  world. 

2.  His  commanding  personality  is  shown  by  his  work,  his  claim 
being  that  his  churches  are  his  certificate  when  he  is  traduced  (2  Cor.  3 : 
2,  3),  for  no  man  was  ever  more  persistently  slandered  (Gal.  1:10;  6: 
10-17;  2  Cor.  10:11,  12).  His  authority  was  acknowledged  by  the 
churches  in  the  most  important  cities  of  the  empire,  with  which  he 
maintained  an  extensive  correspondence.  These  letters,  often  written 
almost  as  fugitive  instructions,  are  in  the  matter  of  intellectual  power 
among  the  world's  great  literature,  and  his  skill  in  dialectic  and  dear 
exposition,  as  seen.  e.  g.,  in  Romans,  is  of  the  highest  order. 

3.  But  he  was  no  less  distinguished  for  his  sanity  in  commonplace 
affairs.  Where  is  there  a  better  poised  judgment  than  that  which  de- 
livered the  advice  contained  in  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians?  His 
principles  are  of  the  highest,  but  he  knows  character  and  can  make  al- 
lowance for  weakness  and  difference  in  circumstances  (i  Cor.  7:8). 
He  puts  his  finger  with  candor  and  remarkable  precision  on  the  spot 
where  the  ailment  is  rooted,  and  as  successfully  chooses  the  remedy 
(i  Cor.  11:17-34;  12:30,  31).  He  is  a  calm,  shrewd  man  guided  by  a 
rigid  standard  of  righteousness  (Rom.  3:5-8;  6:12-18).  Indeed  he  has 
been  the  teacher  of  the  most  virile  portion  of  the  Christian  Church.  Is 
not  this  because  he  is  the  apostle  of  freedom,  and  of  faith  in  Christ  and 
His  truth?  The  creator  under  God  of  Gentile  Christianity,  one  who 
produced  a  moral  reformation,  the  effects  of  which  reach  even  to  the 
present,  a  man  in  whom  vast  intellectual  power  and  sane  judgment 
were  so  eminently  combined  is  surely  able  to  give  satisfactory  testimony 
ai  to  the  controlling  forces  of  his  life  and  their  source.  What  is  his 
account  of  his  life?     (Gal.  i  :ii — 2:21.) 


?» 


Thi  TiuiH  OF  rut  Apostouc  Gospil 
Study  lo:    Great  Personalities 


Seventh  Day  :    Paul  a  Miracle  of  Divine  Grace 

,,ii,„'i,°"S""i''''  "^  ''"*'?  .'"  ',"  unqutstiontd  epistle  a  bie  of  autobiog- 
raphy by  Paul  on  the  crisis  of  his  life  (Gal.  1:13-17).     This  passaee 

nVn'M^'^iA^""-  ":?•  I""-  'l^  """'"  Pi'i"  to  us  thi.  Je?us "he 
risen  Messiah  appeared  to  him  while  he  was  in  the  full  course  of  his 
m!^^"!  P"«""'™.  convinced  him  that  hitherto  his  eyes  had  been 
™,1™,""  !'■"'•  'ri"^'t^"i  Himself  in  him  as  the  Son  of  G^ 
This  event  explains  all  hus  subsequent  life.     Every  action  and  thouiht 

t^Z'!jlTh"!=T'"^  °'  "^=  S""  "'  ^-'^  toward  him?  unworfhy 
10  be  an  apostle  (i  Cor.  15:9.  10:  Eph.  3:8).  unwunny 

<.„^.. J'''y''w"  t'^stMBoay  canaot  be  invalidated  by  a  theory  that  the 
apostje  suffered  from  haiBucination  (2  Cor.  12:1-12),  for  he  always  dis- 
tinguishes between  these  and  his  first  sight  of  Jesus  Th  s  latTer  even 
nr^Jt"  T  ''""''  "his  career,  up  towards  ihich  there  were  no  an 
nroaches  from  misgiving  lest  he  might  be  fighting  against  G,xl  H^s 
le  ters  show  no  thread.s  running  through  his  earlier  exper^nce  in 
new  rlTrWb'n  '"'"'  '>''"«;"<'>'  '"  '-^  combined  by  a  visio"imo  the 
TnTk  ,  i^  experience.  But  were  even  his  visions  (2  Cor,  12)  noth- 
ing but  subjeaive  trances?  Tf  so  k  means  that  his  beli.-f  thai  he  re- 
ceived truth  from  another  world  was  doe  to  the  physical  re:,  "t  on  fr^ 
Jem^'i^W^r*"  """"""■  ^"'i  *?*""  •='■"•'"  '°  >hi«  conclusion  ™  m™ 
r^ntroll^.;  T  ""-""^  ■'"°"  '"'"'  "^^'c^  t-c  brought  into  plav  and 
controlled.  Is  spiritual  intoxication  sufficient  to  account  f,.r  thcc  un 
surpassed  results  in  life?    If  so  our  best  things  are  based  on  hSuud^S- 

3.  Further  Paul  is  not  a  fanatic  swayed  by  a  theory  He  does  not 
plr^J^'  ''"Ar^  '"''  '^'^"'""  '"  the  abstract,  l"  f  ab^tn  a  I  v"ng 
fZl  ■'rr^'^t'''"  "',""*  '"'"  ""i'  '"c  on  a  certain  day  (Gal  I  Vei 
for  hi, T^rH  J''"  3"°'"'  "^'  PO'S'^cd  by  an  overmastering  pLssion 
for  his  Lord.  Men  do  not  make  mistakes  about  these  ethical  crises  ih^t 
ZVr'V"  ""/''P<^»"ncc  of  a  person  who  became  a  steadfaf  lend 
and  by  whose  influence  they  have  been  saved  from  ruin      ..\    over  S 

.h  orl'  "'  '"  "•'"'^','■.  "l"  ''"''"'  ^''  '«'""''•  And  Paul  loved  Jesus  ITth 
absorbing  passion  (Gal.  2:20;  Rom.  8.15;  2  Cor.  5:14). 

iJn„.^''"l'.?""'",'5^"P'-"'"C'l  I'y  hi'  education  and  environment  He 
impresfid  the  world  in  sp.le  of  his  Judaism.    Indeed  he  is  often  said  m 

lewM."/''','"'  '°"^¥  ^^'!""'  "■=  "'  '"PPO^d  .0  ha ve  ou tg  ,wn  h  s 
/h?jL''  """'■''■  ■?"'  ''Jf.Ptecsely  m  that  which  is  non-Jewfsh  *„  hi,^ 
hat  his  power  resides  His  enthusiastic  witness  to  the  fact  hat  lesu^ 
IS  the  crucified  and  liv  ng  Chnst— the  vcrv  jntith.s.  V,(  1,:  .-^  '  ^ 
conceptions-has  persuaded  the  world,  for  f7om,h,'p  aching  fl.^^d'a 
inoral  renewal.     Patil  repudiates  glory  for  himself.     His  chtfrch™  and 


The  Truth  of  tri  Apostolic  Goanl 

Study  II;    The  Christian  Literature     The  New 
Testament 


First  Day:     Coxtemp»rar\  Jkw  isu  Writings  Lack 

Creativk  Power 


T.    Great  literature  is  ah 
convictions,  and  cnthusiasn 


he  outcome  of  the  powerfwl  emotions. 


f  life.  A  sccf^ical  age  c.»"*not  produce 
books  to  charm  the  worlH.  fur  men  are  o«  ihe  wh^  Sealtliv-minded 
and  trust  rather  than  disfc.  -^vc.  Now  the  New  Testa»hrnt  b<:Iongs  pre- 
eminently to  an  age  of  fait .  It  is  pervaded  by  one  and  liu-  ^iime  spirit, 
and  is  in  all  its  varied  ciiaracter  and  literary  forms  expressive  of  a 
unique  and  strong  life.  The  New  Testament  is  one  book  because  it 
deals  with  phases  of  the  selfsame  life. 

2.  As  far  .IS  literature  is  concerned  thv-  epoch  was  barren.  There 
had  been  no  great  ideas  stirring  to  kindk  the  imagination,  and  the  New 
Testament  stands  by  itself  in  the  century  which  it  covers.  To  take  the 
writings  which  in  form  most  nearly  approach  the  New  Testament — 
the  contemporary  literature  of  the  Jews,  This  is  somewhat  voluminous. 
Leaving  out  of  account  the  Old  Testament  Apocrypha,  the  best  writ- 
ings belong  to  the  class  entitled  "pseudepigraphic, '  consisting  for  the 
most  part  of  apocalypses  bearing  the  names  of  Old  Testament  worthies 
— the  Book  of  Enoch,  the  Ascension  of  Isaiah,  the  Assumption  of  Moses, 
the  Aptvalypse  of  Baruch.  They  are  composed  of  visions  and  medleys  of 
Hncy  wrought  into  shafK-  as  protests  against  the  existing  order  of 
things,  reflections  of  national  ideals  cast  upon  the  clouds  of  a  stormy 
present.  It  is  a  topsy  lurvy  world  in  which  the  sanity  of  true  literature 
19  sacrificed  to  the  dreams  of  the  enthusiast.  The  average  Jewish 
apocalypse  is  ineffective.  In  contrast  to  these  our  caninical  apocal)rpse, 
tnough  often  incongruous  and  full  of  unintelligible  imagery,  is  instinct 
with  and  capable  of  producing  a  mighty  faith.  A  passion,  a  volume  of 
belief,  a  wave  of  confidence  surges  through  the  book,  bearing  forward 
its  strange  tig\ires.  imagery  and  visions  to  a  crest,  but  leaving  them 
behind  as  it  rolls  on  and  breaks  with  magnificence  on  the  shores  of  the 
eternal  wcvid  (Rev.  21  and  22). 

3.  Tbe  Psalms  of  the  Pharisees  or  Salomon  (50  B.  C?)  are  the 
finest  of  contemporary  Jewish  literature,  suggestive  in  many  ways  of  the 
hsrmn^  of  Mary  and  Zacharias  (Luke  i  :47-SS.  67-79).  though  they  lack 
tlwr  buoyant  and  prophetic  spirit.  But  of  all  Jewish  writings  of  that 
time  it  may  be  said  that  they  are  devoid  of  creative  or  prophetic  genius. 
They  smell  of  the  lamp,  or  have  the  tone  of  the  ecclesiastic  or  disap- 
pOMted  nationalist.  Hardly  any  would  be  read  with  interest  were  it  n"? 
»r  the  light  they  throw  on  the  world  from  which  the  New  Testament 
sprang. 


74 


Thi  Tiuth  or  thi  Aristolic  Goim. 
Study   ii:    The  New  Testawnt 


Second  Day:    Thrown  into  RF.LiEr  dy  Succeeding 
VVritinrs 

I.  A  comparison  of  the  Ntw  Testament  with  contemporary  or  suc- 
ceeding Christian  writings  heightens  the  impression  of  its  uniqueness 
Ihese  are  easily  recognized  to  be  derivative,  indeed  the  best  of  them  are 
frankly  so  Ariy  reader  of  the  apocryphal  gospels,  acts,  or  epistles  finds 
himself  ushered  into  a  very  rarified  atmosphere,  which  could  hardly  sus- 
tain high-toned  religious  life.  In  them  are  thrown  together  things  of 
value  and  things  of  trivial  character  side  by  side.  They  suffer  from 
want  of  power  to  discriminate  between  what  is  congruous  and  what  is 
singularly  inappropriate  in  persons  whose  names  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment stand  for  somethii...  of  altogether  different  grade.  Thev  have 
small  sense  of  spiritual  truth.  ' 

,t.''  lif'y  "'  "5"  °L  ■''"'""ly  la/gcr  caliber  on  the  borderland  of 
St  11  linger  among  their  successors.  But  a  decline  Is  manifest  even  here 
Su  1,  .'i?  the  prophetic  lire  of  James:  Ignatius  is  fervid  and 
lovable,  but  his  intellectual  grip  is  feebler  and  his  spiritual  insight  less 
discerning    han  that  of  the  New  Testament  writers;  and  the  Teaching 

n„/!^  V  't  i'!£f""  "L""'.'  ""f  '"°""'  "'  ">=  PT"  teaching  of  thi 
perfect  law  of  liberty  changing  into  a  legalistic  standard.  The  best 
explanation  of  this  is  that  none  of  these  writers  came  into  direct  touch 
with  Jesus  Christ  and  the  creative  agencies  which  were  at  work  in  the 
circle  of  His  immediate  disciples.  The  personal  glow  is  lessening  be- 
cause the  Jesus  of  history  is  represented  now  by  but  few  of  those  who 
knew  Him. 

"  U  ^  ''^*  y"'  *t '"  'T  Rood,  more  love 
Through  me  to  men  t  be  nought  but  ashet  here 
J.,.V  "^"P  awhile  my  siemblance.  who  was  John— 
Stm.  when  they  ncatter,  there  la  left  on  earth 
No  one  alive  who  knew  (consider  this.) 
—Saw  with  hii  eyes  and  handled  with  his  hands 
That  which  was  Irom  the  lirst.  the  Word  of  Lite. 
How  will  it  be  when  none  more  saith  '  I  mw"?  " 

—/t.  fir^'wniHf.    A  Death  in  the  Dttert. 

The  consciousness  of  the  New  Testament  revelation  is  expressed  in 
R«.  2J:U'i9        '3-8.  »;  ■  Thcss.  4:1s;  John  1:14:  i  JoL  1:1-4; 

f  ^- J*"  .''"?''"'  °'  ""  P-ristian  Fathers  of  the  second,  third  and 
bu??1,ev",n"„"1  "r'J°  ^  .""r"  "■="  'h«  °f  th<^  sub-ap^stoli?  a^. 
bu   they  all  profess  to  be  merely  interpreters  of  the  New  Testament,  and 

rrel?t,,o'"''"''"'^.;™"f5  "'  revelation.  The  canonical  Scrip  ures 
fhe™  ,f4;  S"l'  '"  ""=  *'4"""5-  Suddenly  the  traveler  comes  upon 
eenH,r?e  tl,.,  «'»'  *?"<'"«'  ■'"■0"«t>  t ract s  of  barrenness,  and  in  the 
thr  ^,  V  '  fo""".  h^  »«"  spots  of  spiritual  genius  are  spread  along 
the  water  courses  which  have  issued  from  this  spring  of  life 


T»  TiUTB  or  nt  AroiTOUC  Gofim. 
Study  ii:    The  New  Testament 


Third  Day:    The  Style  and  Language  of  the  New 
Testament 

1.  There  ii  very  little  literary  grace  in  the  New  Teitamcnt.  Some 
of  the  writer!,  notably  the  author  of  Hebrewi,  were  men  of  culture, 
but  the  average  style  lacks  zsthelic  distinction,  such  as  belongs  to 
masters  of  the  silver  age  of  Greek  like  Polybius  or  Plutarch.  Paul,  it  is 
true,  was  a  man  of  the  highest  education,  but  he  gave  small  heed  to 
form.  In  his  eagerness  he  presses  forward  till  he  breaks  through  his 
language  and  his  thought  becomes  abrupt  (l  Cor.  13:1-9;  Gal  <,'^'- 
2:3-10).  His  message  not  his  style,  except  in  so  far  as  the  style  is  the 
man,  gained  the  attention  of  his  readers,  though  the  cultured  Athenians 
found  his  enthusiasm  to  be  excessive,  and  put  him  aside  as  bad  form 
(Acts  17:33).  These  words  are  true  of  the  gospel  of  John— "We 
must  not  apply  aesthetic  standards  to  religious  literature,  but  from  the 
peculiar  charm  of  the  measured  wave-like  movement  of  the  sentences, 
which  give  an  impression  of  the  divine  character  of  Jesus,  so  clear  and 
deep,  so  simple  and  exalted,  so  still  and  so  powerful,  so  solemn  and  so 
smooth,  so  enigmatical  and  so  self-evident,  no  one  can  escape  who 
seeks  for  Christ  in  the  gospel"  (Heinrici). 

2.  This  drives  us  down  to  the  heart  nf  tht-  matter.  The  New  Testa- 
ment is  a  product  of  the  everyday  speech  nf  the  people,  being  composed 
in  what  is  called  "the  common  dialect."  and  that  as  spoken  by  the  com- 
mon folk  rather  than  as  written  by  the  cultured.  But  this  language, 
though  of  vulgar  origin,  moves  with  dignity,  its  spirit  is  hiprh  born,  and 
it  carries  its  everyday  and  simple  garb  with  noble  bearing.  A  few 
words  were  coined,  but  the  real  change  is  in  the  spirit  with  which  the 
old  terms  were  invested,  words  once  ignoble  or  pedestrian,  f.  _^.,  "cross." 
"minister."  "church,"  "gospel,"  being  exalted  to  celestial  significance; 
while,  as  wc  have  seen,  several  nf  the  Christi.in  virtues  had  to  be  pro- 
vided with  nomenclature.  "The  vitality  of  the  New  Testament  language 
resides  in  the  spirit  that  quickens  it.  It  is  as  pervasive  as  the  atmos- 
phere, but  as  intangible  as  a  perfume"  (J.  H.  Thayer). 

3.  This  phenomenon  is  worth  pondering.  The  instrument  for  the 
transmission  of  divine  truth  is  not  the  language  of  the  cultured,  nor 
of  the  subtle  philosopher;  it  is  just  average  speech,  commonplace  ex- 
pression, which  any  one  may  understand.  A  grammarian  may  be 
shocked  at  its  errors,  a  rhetor  cian  at  the  graceless  style,  but  like  the 
dull  carbon  when  aglow  wit!  electric  light,  this  New  Testament  speech 
illuminated  by  the  Divine  Spirit  has  shed  forth  truth  upon  the  world. 
(See  Deissmann's  "Bible  Studies":  J.  H.  Thayer's  article,  "language 
of  New  Testament"  in  Hastings'  "Dictionary  of  the  Bible";  J.  H.  Motil- 
ton's  articles  on  "Characteristics  of  New  Testament  Greek'  in  the 
"Expositor"  for  1904.) 

;6 


Thi  TiUTB  o»  TH«  \ro«TOLic  Gotm. 


Study  ii:    The  New  Testament 


loLHTH  Day:    Jewish  Books  Become  the  Reliciou* 
Classics  of  the  Gentiles 

1.  ThtK  booki  are  Jewish  in  ipirit  and  form.  How  is  it  that  Jesus 
has  become  ihe  Teacher  of  mankind  though  He  couched  so  much  of  His 
discourse  in  provincial  Jewish  language?  How  is  ii  that  sparks  of  truth 
shot  off  in  lii-ated  controversy  with  the  Pharisees,  and  expressed  in 
terms  of  the  Jewish  theocratic  ideal,  are  the  vehicle  .>(  r .velation  to  the 
world?  Because  that  comparatively  sequestered  nation  'ud  sent  forth 
a  stream  of  the  noblest  teachers  in  mailers  that  pertain  God  and  the 
soul.  To  the  Jew  belonged  the  spiritual  intelligence  necessary  to  fathom 
the  gospel  and  to  interpret  it  to  the  world,  and  he  alone  had  a  -ufR- 
ciently  endowed  character  to  be  a  rimpetent  missenKvr  concerning  the 
Kingdom  of  Jesus. 

2.  But  the  Jewish  peopli  of  that  age  had  been  saddled  with  the  Phari- 
sees, who  as  self-constituted  pedagogues  had  ridden  them  into  a  hard 
slavery.  Iherefore  Jesus  had  first  to  unseat  these  pedagogues  relieve 
the  Israelite  of  his  burden,  and  call  to  his  mem.  ry  the  well-nigh  for- 
gotten truths  of  the  prophets  on  whii  h  Hebr.  v  character  had  been 
moulded.  This  is  the  reason  of  so  much  discussion  in  the  gospels 
Only  thus  could  Jesus  bring  to  light  the  great  hidden  truths  of  the  past 
and  show  how  Ihey  wen  carried  to  rompletion  in  His  message. 

3.  On  turning  to  the  epistles  or,,  might  fancy  at  first  sight  that  they 
could  not  be  attractive  to  the  Gentiles.  Romans  might  be  thought  to  re- 
quire a  Jewish  constituency,  and  Hebrews  even  more  so.  Their  long 
and  subtle  argum;nts  derive  their  cogency  from  thrir  contrasts  with 
Jewish  theology,  practice,  or  ritual.  Their  authors  a|ir»  al  boldly  to  the 
Jewish  Scriptures  without  having  recourse  to  the  allegory  of  Philo  in 
order  to  adapt  them  to  the  cultured  Gentile  world.  Then  what  of  the 
imagery  of  the  Apocalypse?  And  yet  in  spite  of  their  difficulties  they 
have  becoine  the  standard  religious  literature  nf  the  progressive  nations 
of  the  world:  and  not  of  the  Western  world  it.ne.  for  the  immense  and 
growing  work  of  the  Bibh  societies  proves  hit  the  Scriptures  are  dis- 
placing other  sacred  books  where  they  enter  int..  competition  with  them 
How  IS  this  to  be  explained  ? 


MKROCOPT    RtSOLUTION   TiST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.0 


■  23 

11-25   11.4    11.6 


I.I 


J     /tPPLIEG  IIVMGE    Inc 

ie»  Casl  Mam  Street 

Roch«»ltr.   Nt»   Yorli         1*609       US* 

(716)  ♦82  -0»0  -  Ptior« 

<716)  288-5989  -Fa. 


The  Teuth  op  the  Apostouc  Gospel 


Study  ii:    The  New  Testament 


Fifth  Day:    Jesus  '"hrist  the  Unity  of  the  New 
Testament 


1.  The  unity  of  the  New  Testament  is  explained  by  the  purpose 
which  traverses  it  from  beginning  to  end,  though  it  is  surprising  that 
that  purpose  should  have  been  so  consistently  maintained  in  a  literature 
which  grew  as  it  did.  In  the  case  of  the  gospels  it  is  obvious  that  they 
were  all  written  with  a  definite  purpose,  which  from  various  points  of 
view  is  the  same — to  set  forth  the  historical  facts  of  Christ's  life  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  show  that  no  other  foundation  can  any  man  lay  than 
that  which  is  laid,  which  is  Christ  Jesus.  An  actual  life,  the  materials 
of  which  two  writers  claim  to  have  verified  (Luke  1:1-4;  John  i :  14-18; 
10:35;  21:24),  forms  the  source  of  the  rest  of  the  New  Testament. 
These  gospels  were  written  not  as  literary  biography,  but  to  edify 
(Mark  1:1;  Matt.  1:21-23;  Luke  1:4;  John  20:31).  Each  writer  be- 
lieved that  Christ,  and  He  alone,  was  the  Gospel. 

2.  Many  of  the  epistles  on  the  other  hand  were  put  forth  to  meet  the 
current  necessities  of  the  Church  ( i  Cor. ;  2  Cor. ;  Gal.,  see  especially  6 : 
11-18;  and  3  John),  and  we  have  only  a  selection  from  a  large  corre- 
spondence. But  they  are  all  an  application  of  the  principles  of  Christ's 
hfe  to  the  everyday  needs  of  the  believer.  As  a  whole  the  Acts  and 
epistles  are  an  interpretation  of  the  Person  of  Christ  whom  His  followers 
were  learning  to  know  more  deeply  through  experience.  "It  was  by 
something  more  divine  than  a  sure  instinct  that  the  interpretation  of 
Christ's  Person  was  made  to  occupy  a  larger  space  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment than  even  the  words  of  Jesus.  It  is  the  faith  which  the  book  em- 
bodies more  than  the  facts  it  states  that  has  placed  upon  its  brow  the 
crown  of  its  illuminative  history"  (Fairbairn). 

3.  So  the  unity  of  the  New  Testament  consists  in  its  picture  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  writers  claim  that  they  can  describe  this  Person.  Some 
assert  that  they  had  lived  with  Him  on  earth,  or  had  had  a  vision  of  the 
risen  Christ,  and  that  they  knew  His  mind.  Though  His  Spirit  still 
lives  and  works  in  their  midst  it  must  be  defined  by  the  character  of 
the  historic  Jesus  (John  16:14;  2  Cor.  S'^?)-  The  purpose,  origin,  and 
unity  of  the  New  I'cstament  are  found  in  the  Person  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  often  a  commonplace  setting  for  a  wonderful  character,  much  of 
it  having  been  written  to  give  advice  on  humble  duties,  or  to  counteract 
mistaken  notions  of  average  Christians,  but  this  casual  literature  has  be- 
come the  world's  standard  because  of  the  marvelous  Person  it  enshrines. 


Thi  TiiuiH  OF  THi  Aposnuc  GOSPIL 


Study  ii:    The  New  Testament 


Sixth  Day:    The  New  Testament  Answers  Man's 
Hardest  Questions 

1.  But  the  question  still  remains,  Why  do  these  Jewish  books  which 
deal  with  the  life  and  Person  of  the  Messiah  appeal  to  the  heart  of  the 
world  ?  As  Coleridge  said,  the  Scriptures  "find"  HS,  the  same  idea  th^t 
they  hare  a  marvelous  self-revealing  power  being  expressed  in  Heo. 
4:12,  13;  I  John  5:9-12.  No  honest  soul  can  carefully  study  the  New 
Testament  without  being  morally  quickened,  spiritually  uplifted  and  in- 
spired with  a  new  sense  of  the  worth  of  life.  Through  it  all  there  is  an 
unmatched  elevation.  Much  of  this  breaks  forth  from  simplest  words 
which  need  no  explanation,  but  can  be  understood  by  the  unlearned, 
though  like  pure  and  clear  mountain  lakes  their  depth  is  unfathomable. 
On  the  other  hand  many  of  the  truths  of  the  New  Testament  are  so  lofty 
that  they_  seem  like  distant  snow-clad  ^eaks  piercing  the  blue,  whose  re- 
flection lies  across  these  same  mountain  lakes,  but  they  are  inaccessible 
even  to  the  most  experienced  climbers. 

2.  We  do  not  take  long  to  discover  that  we  ourselves  are  the  greatest 
riddle  of  life.  What  am  I?  Whither  am  I  going?  To  these  the  most 
insistent  questions  of  our  nature  the  New  Testament  supplies  the  an- 
swer. We  are  made  in  the  image  of  God  and  can  find  no  rest  but  in  Him 
(Matt.  5:48;  11:28,  29:  John  14:1-6;  2  Cor.  3:18;  Heb.  4:9).  The 
fundamental  axiom  of  the  Bible  is  that  there  is  a  God.  Its  revelation 
consists  in  the  nature  of  the  God  of  whom  it  teaches.  Absolutely 
righteous,  self-consistent,  free  from  moods  or  envy.  He  is  the  all-wise, 
eternal  Sovereign,  loving  mercy  and  hating  iniquity,  forgiving  sin.  The 
Holy  Father  is  eager  to  receive  the  love  of  all  His  children. 

3.  As  compared  with  the  Old  Testament  the  New  Testament  teaches 
a  fuller  idea  of  the  Divine  Nature.  Holiness  is  no  longer  expressed  in 
ritual,  but  in  the  purest  ethical  terms,  some  of  the  qualities  with  which 
Jehovah  was  thought  to  be  endowed  by  writers  of  the  Old  Testa  nent 
having  disappeared  in  the  fuller  light  of  the  New.  It  professes  to  ful- 
fill the  promise  of  the  new  covenant  (Jer.  3i;3iflf.).  God  is  no  longer 
the  God  of  the  Jews,  but  the  Father  of  mankind.  Salvation  is  for  the 
world  (John  4:21-24). 


79 


Thc  Truth  of  thk  Apostolic  Gospil 


Study  II:    The  New  Testament 


Seventh  Day  :    The  Optimism  of  the  New  Testament 
Based  on  Jesus  Christ 


1.  Our  next  question  is,  What  is  man?  Nowhere  are  the  facts  of 
human  life  faced  with  such  sincerity  as  in  the  New  Testament.  Sin 
is  painted  as  it  really  is.  Man  is  dealt  with  as  he  is  found,  due  heed 
being  paid  to  the  testimony  of  conscience  and  the  lessons  of  remorse. 
The  light  of  Christ's  pure  life  streaming  from  the  cross  deepens  the 
sense  of  human  shame.  Where  is  the  hideousness  of  the  sin  m  whicii 
the  race  is  sunk  depicted  in  such  awful  and  yet  self-restrained  and  dis- 
cerning terms  as  in  the  New  Testament?  (Matt.  23;  John  3:17-21; 
Rom.  3:9-20;  Eph.  2:1-3:  Heb.  2:14,  15;  James  4:1-10;  i  Peter  4: 
17-19)-  "The  human  race,"  as  Newman  says,  "is  implicated  in  some  ter- 
rible aboriginal  calamity,  and  is  out  of  joint  with  the  purposes  of  its 
Creator."    This  has  been  called  Christian  pessimism. 

2.  Along  with  this  there  is  an  unexampled  view  of  the  noble  inherent 
dignity  of  man,  and  at  the  same  time  strong  confidence  as  to  his  future 
destiny  (i  Cor.  15:20-28).  Other  literature  is  full  of  despondency  as  to 
human  nature,  but  according  to  the  New  Testament  the  race  gets  a  fresh 
start  in  Jesus  Christ  (Rom.  5:12-21;  Eph.  2:10;  i  John  4:9).  From 
Him  flows  a  stream  of  pure  life  for  the  cleansing  of  depraved  man  and 
restoring  him  to  the  righteous  Father.  To  these  fundamental  questions 
as  to  God,  man  iiid  salvation  there  are  no  discrepant  answers  in  the 
New  Testamen',.    The  book  is  one  in  its  spirit. 

3.  There  is  a  .endency  to-day  among  some  critics  to  ascribe  not  only 
Hebrews,  but  all  our  gospels  except  Mark,  and  many  of  the  chief  epis- 
tles to  unknown  authors,  or  to  schools  of  apostolic  foundation.  A  real 
appreciation  of  ti^e  spiritual  magnitude  of  these  books  renders  this 
^rtma  facie  very  unlikely.  Was  the  turn  of  the  first  century  so  prolific 
m  spiritual  genius  that  the  authors  of  these  world  classics  should,  have 
been  lost  in  the  crowd?  To  point  to  the  anonymity  of  Jewish  literature 
does  not  meet  the  dificulty,  for  none  of  it  is  of  first  rate  order. 
But  it  is  especially  insufficient  as  an  answer  because  the  writers  of  the 
New  Testament  lay  such  stress  en  testimony.  Their  gospel  was  bound 
up  with  the  truth  of  certain  facts  concerning  Jesus  Christ.  If  the  New 
Testament  is  derived  from  the  apostles  or  their  companions,  and  is  due 
to  the  more  or  less  direct  inspiration  of  Jesus  Christ  whom  they  knew 
and  loved,  there  is  at  least  an  adequate  solution  of  the  problem  on  its 
religious  side. 


PART  II. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  EXPLANATION  OF  THE 
FOREGOING  PHENOMENA— THE  APOSTOLIC 
GOSPEL 


Thi  T»utb  or  THi  Arosiouc  Gospil 
Study  12:    The  Gospel 


First  Day  :    The  Phenomena  and  Their  Wondrous 
Explanation 

1.  To  recapitulate,  we  have  been  brought  face  to  fare  with  i  mar- 
veloijs  ethical  creation,  a  new  type  of  character  and  life.  Wiihin  the 
widely  scattered  and  variously  assorted  Christian  Brotherhood  there 
arose  an  ideal  transcending  in  its  worth  the  purest  dreams  of  prophets 
and  sages,  and  that  ideal  was  wrought  out  in  the  everyday  life  of  mul- 
titudes drawn  from  everv  rank  in  society,  and  often  from  most  untoward 
circumstances.  Not  only  were  humble  lives  beautified,  but  they  were 
inspired  by  a  conviction  of  the  worth  of  the  unseen  which  reversed  for 
ttiem  the  values  placed  by  the  ordinary  man  on  the  things  of  the  world. 
1  heir  richest  blessings  lay  in  the  beyond.  Moreover,  new  powers  were 
at  work  m  their  midst,  which  they  believed  to  come  as  spiritual  gifts 
from  their  exalted  Lord.  It  was  a  brotherhood  of  priests  and  prophets 
all  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  there  emerged  from  it  a 
number  of  men  of  supreme  endowments  whose  spiritual  eminence  gave 
them  leadership.  From  the  circle  of  the  brethren  there  has  also  come 
a  hterature  which  is  the  classic  source  for  the  religious  and  moral  ideals 
of  the  Western  civilization. 

^i\  "v*  "-^  '"."  "■  »'="";?'.  '°r  "'i"  phenomenon?  The  explanation 
of  the  New  Testament  itself  is  that  it  was  due  to  the  Gospel  of  Tesus 
thrist.  This  might  be  inferred  from  the  position  given  to  the  narra- 
tives ot  the  life  of  Jesus  and  their  length,  at  the  opening  of  the  New 
lestament  But  it  is  explicitly  stated  by  Paul  almost  as  a  ringing  chal- 
lenge fi  a)r.  1:18-25;  Gal.  3-J-5).  and  the  epistles  to  the  Hebrews 
(2:3,  4),  of  James  (ir  18),  Peter  (l  Peter  1 : 23-25),  and  John(l  John  i: 
7 ;  4 :  14)  bear  witness  to  the  same  effect.  All  agree  that  there  is  one  and 
only  one  source  of  moral  renewal,  that  no  other  gospel  can  compete  with 
their  message  (Gal.  i:6ff.). 

3-  That  gospel  had  a  vitality  which  radium-like  was  not  diminished 
by  the  moral  energy  it  created.  Doubtless  its  success  was  an  inmien,«e 
onfirmatory  evidence  of  its  universal  truth  to  the  first  missionaries. 
But  in  Itself  their  message  was  to  them  a  constant  wonder.  They  felt 
even  more  than  we  do  that  their  words  and  the  phenomena  of  their  circle 
were  a  startling  contrast  to  the  ordinary  happenings  of  life.  They 
realized  to  the  full  the  magnitude  of  the  change  that  had  come  over  the 
world,  and  they  were  prepared  to  accept  responsibility  for  the  stu- 
pendous explanation  they  gave  of  its  cause.  It  is  impossible  to  trace 
an  increasing  wonder  fed  by  fancy  across  a  chasm  of  years,  beginning 
in  the  earlier  bodts  and  growing  as  myths  grow,  till  a  simple  human  life 
IS  cast  like  the  Brocken  mirage  in  giant  shape  upon  the  clouds  of  the 
imagination.  They  knew  that  they  were  living  in  the  midst  of  wonders 
transacted  m  a  commonplace  world.  In  its  full  daylight  they  gave  one 
and  the  same  self-consistent  account  of  these  marvels.  But  they  stood 
all  i«t  agnast  at  the  audacity  of  their  explanation  (Rom.  i :  16,  I7  •  11  • 
33-?o;  Heb.  1:1-4;  I  Peter  1:10-12;  i  John  3:1,  2). 

83 


TBI  TiuTB  or  TUi  ArotTouc  Goiru. 


Study  12:    The  Gospel 


Seconp  Day  :    The  Living  Word  of  Truth 


1.  The  gospel  is  "the  Word  of  God,"  which  God  Himself  speaks. 
There  has  been  but  one  Word  from  the  beginning,  though  it.-,  meaning 
has  only  fully  come  in  Jesus  Christ  (Heb.  i:i).  No  commot.er  figure 
for  the  gospel  is  found  than  that  of  the  seed  (Matt.  13: 3-3,'/ ■  This 
seed  is  germinant  with  the  will  of  God  for  our  salvation  (Jam-:'  1:18: 
I  Peter  1:23-25).  Carried  by  preachers  to  every  part  of  the  world  the 
seed  bears  fruit,  and  waxing  strong  enables  those  who  receive  it  to  over- 
come the  evil  (Col.  1:6;  I  John  2:14). 

2.  It  is  a  living  word.  As  such  it  is  in  marked  contrast  to  the  writ- 
ten code  of  the  old  covenant,  which  like  all  mere  systems  of  precepts 
grew  antiquated  (2  Cor.  3:6;  Gal.  3:21).  Life  exists  only  by  adaptation 
to  environment,  or,  perhaps  we  should  say,  by  adapting  through  its  in- 
herent power  its  environment  to  its  own  uses,  transmuting  dead  material 
into  forms  of  organic  existence.  In  like  manner  the  gospel  is  not  a  dead 
written  letter,  but  is  an  eternal  truth  that  will  fit  itself  into  each  indi- 
vidual's conditions  and  into  the  circumstances  of  every  age  (John 
16:13). 


3.  As  the  word  of  God  the  gospel  is  "the  truth  (i  Thess.  2:1^; 
Eph.  1:13;  2  Tim.  2:15;  Heb.  10:26;  James  1:18;  i  John  4:6).  This  is 
a  wide  term,  covering  all  life;  it  is  an  ethical  or  spiritual  idea,  not 
primarily  intellectual.  The  gospel  is  what  God  has  to  say  on  life^m  its 
complete  range,  and  just  because  it  helps  men  to  attain  unto  the  more 
life  and  fuller"  it  is  their  salvation.  It  is  the  truth  because  God  Himselt 
who  speaks  it  is  the  Light  (l  John  I  :s;  Eph.  5:8,  9,  I3)- 

4.  Therefore  the  gospel  is  authoritative.  Man's  word  may  be  a  mat- 
ter of  opinion,  shifting  as  the  wind  or  designed  by  craft  after  the  wiles 
of  error  Not  so  God's  word  (Eph.  4:14)-  Like  all  truth  it  searches 
the  conscience  and  will  not  allow  a  man  to  conceal  his  sins  from  the 
scrutiny  of  God  (Heb.  4:12,  13)-  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  duty  to 
believe  Words  of  the  truth  of  life  come  home  to  a  man  speaking  with 
the  tones  of  a  rightful  master  in  the  inmost  rooms  of  the  heart,  and 
they  send  the  evil  spirits  shuddering  out  into  the  dark.  Such  a  power 
the  gospel  has  always  exercised.  It  is  not  a  few  precepts  to  be  exhausted 
bv  literal  obedience,  nor  mere  formulas  in  the  shape  of  a  creed  to  be 
assented  to  as  theoretically  correct. 


84 


Thi  1  >UTH  or  TBI  Aroimic  Goim 


Study  12:    The  Gospel 


Third  Day:    The  Unchanging  Gospel  Comes  from  Jesus 
Christ 

I-  Tht  gospel  of  the  living  God,  the  one  and  unchanging  truth,  is 
traced  back  to  the  life  of  Jesus  upon  earth  (i  Tim.  6:3).  In  one  of 
the  latest  writings  of  the  New  Testament  we  find  the  conviction  that  the 
gospel  as  preached  in  the  Christian  tradition  is  true  to  its  source 
( '  John  1:3:2:7);  indeed  in  this  epistle  great  stress  is  laid  on  the  truth 
of  the  gospel  as  being  guaranteed  by  persona]  testimony  (1  John  1:1-3: 
4: 14).  On  turning  to  one  of  the  earlier  and  indisputable  letters  we  dis- 
cover the  same  sense  of  continuous  tradition,  and  that,  too,  in  a  church 
over  which  the  apostle  had  no  authority,  and  to  whose  foundation  and 
upbuilding  he  had  so  far  contributed  nothing.  Paul's  words  in  Rom.  6: 
17  imply  that  the  gospel  to  which  his  readers  owe  their  salvation  is  the 
same  as  that  which  he  preaches.    Moreover,  it  is  truth  to  be  obeyed. 

1.  The  Book  of  Acts  may  be  taken  as  representing  the  common  be- 
lief of  the  Church  during  the  latter  half  of  the  first  century.  From 
Acts  2:42  we  gather  that  the  brethren  were  persuaded  that  one  and 
only  one  variet-  of  doctrine  had  been  handed  down  from  the  apostles. 
Paul  mentions  in  Gal.  1:23  the  incredulity  of  the  churches  of  Judaea 
with  regard  to  himself.  Evidently  there  was  only  one  "faith,"  or  body 
of  truth  which  evoked  faith  among  the  brethren.  With  intense  indig- 
nation he  rejects  the  half  truths  of  his  opponents  as  being  destructive 
of  his  gospel  (Gal.  1:7:  2:7).  This  common  faith  centered  in  the  un- 
cha' ging  Jesus  Christ  (Heb.  13:7-9). 

:.  The  gospel  then  was  regarded  as  one  and  the  .liame.  It  had  been 
preached  before  Paul  was  converted,  in  Judaea  (1  Thess.  2:14),  Rome 
and  other  parts,  and  it  was  held,  they  believed,  in  its  ancient  purity  by 
the  Hebrew  Christians,  and  by  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  to  which 
the  Johannine  epistles  were  written.  But  though  it  was  the  same  word 
of  God,  some  had  heard  it  directly  others  indirectly.  Miny  claimed  that 
they  had  listened  to  Jesus  Himself  on  earth  (John  1:14;  I  Cor.  15.6). 
Paul  got  his  gospel  from  the  risen  Christ ;  most,  however,  from  those 
who  had  been  disciples  01  Jesus  (Heb.  2:3).  It  was  in  one  and  all  the 
(Gospel  f  f  God  traced  back  to  its  first  Preacher,  Jesus  Himself  (Mark 
1:14;  John  18:37). 


8S 


The  T»uih  or  ihi  Akhtolic  Gosiil 


Study   12:    The  Gospel 


Fourth  Day:    The  Gospel  the  Good  News  of  God's  Grace 


I.  In  iu  literal  stnie  the  word  "gospel "  meanj  "good  newi.  As 
employed  in  the  New  Testament,  where  it  first  occurs  in  the  narratives 
of  Christ's  life,  it  implies  that  a  line  of  promises  lies  behind  it.  Jehovah 
had  spoken  good  tidings  through  His  prophets  of  a  glorious  coming 
kingdom,  and  of  a  new  covenant  when  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  would  be 
poured  forth  (Jer.  3i:3lff)-  All  these  things  arc  fulfilled  in  Jesus 
Christ  (Matt.  26:28).  The  new  Israel  takes  the  place  of  tl.^  old  (l  Peter 
a:4-l0). 

1  The  gospel  is  indeed  (he  best  of  all  news,  for  it  tells  of  salvation 
to  a  world  of  sinful  men.  All  are  plunged  in  sin.  and  under  the  distress 
of  guilt.  God's  anger  is  manifested  everywhere  in  the  blunted  under- 
standing, the  evil  impulses  of  men,  and  their  works  of  darkness  (Eph. 
3  1,  3,  la;  4:18).  Mankind  is  in  an  evil  plight,  but  >o  this  al -rrani 
and  undeserving  world  there  comes  a  message  of  grace.  "Grace  and 
"gospel"  are  almost  convertible  terms.  Grace  is  the  quality  of  the  sov- 
ereign Father  who  has  not  averted  His  countenance  from  the  children  of 
men  in  fixed  displeasure,  but  has  tuTied  it  towards  them,  and  is  wiHing 
to  enter  into  fellowship  with  all  His  sinful  sons  who  will  turn  to  Him 
(.Acts  11:23:  Rom.  l:s:  3:24:  Eph.  2:8:  James  4:6;  i  Peter  1:10). 
Salvation  issues  from  the  gracious  disposition  of  God.  The  gospel  is  the 
glad  tidings  that  God  has  actually  drawn  near  to  pardon  men. 

3.  Thus  the  New  Testament  idea  of  salvation  puts  it  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  any  mere  effort  of  man  by  himself.  It  is  not  the  result  of  his 
ethical  striving  to  loosen  himself  from  the  coils  that  his  sin  has  wound 
about  him ;  it  is  not  bestowed  as  a  measure  of  desert ;  it  does  not  come 
in  an  order  of  merit  to  those  whose  character  is  less  sinful  than  that 
of  their  fellows.  Salvation  is  a  free,  unstinted  gift  for  all  equally,  if 
they  will  receive  it,  from  the  Father  of  lights  whose  loving  face  is 
shadowed  by  no  edipse  (Jame.  ::I7).  This  undeserved  blessing  is  so 
beyond  the  devisinga  of  man,  both  in  its  present  potency  and  its  promise, 
that  its  contemplation  awakens  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  to 
ever-increasing  nurvel.  History  converges  upon  its  announcement :  the 
prophets  of  the  past  burdened  with  such  gracious  purposes,  p.-er  into 
the  future  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  its  glories,  and  the  angels  in  heaven 
cease  for  a  moment  in  their  service  to  behold  the  progress  of  the  message 
on  earth  (1  Peter  1:10-12:  Eph.  1:4.  lo). 


86 


Tai  TiOTB  or  tbe  Akstouc  Gofrn 


Study   [2:    The  Gospel 


Fifth  Day:    How  Can  Sinful  M/n  Approach  the  Holv 
God 

I.  The  primary  fact  of  the  gospel  is  its  message  as  t  j  God.  He  is  the 
l-ather  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  comfort  (2  Cor.  1 : 3),  the  Brstower  of 
grace,  the  Enricher  with  every  blessing  (i  Cor.  1:4.  5);  h;  pardons 
""•?<'  '^"''l"  beauty  of  hohness  on  all  who  come  within  the  range 
of  His  gifts  (Heb.  13:30  ai).  But  the  God  of  the  New  Testament  is 
also  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  eternal  righteous  One  in 
whom  IS  light  and  no  darkness  at  all  (i  John  1:5).  Ko  shadow  from 
the  clouds  of  our  nful  world  is  nst  upon  His  holiness  (Job  15:15: 
neb.  9:aj).,  How  then  can  He  come  into  contact  with  such  a  world 
ajours?  Sin  13  the  neption  of  the  divine  rule.  God  is  holy  love.  Arc 
not  the  1  biects  of  His  love  only  those  who  love  righteousness  and  'late 
iniquity?  '»  it  not  lelf-contradicting  for  a  holy  God  to  have  intercourse 
with  a  world  of  sinful  men?  How  is  the  Chrisiian  message  of  the  God 
of  grace  possible  ? 

..':  ^^'J''"  '*"  '•>''  difficulty,  and  in  order  not  to  infringe  upon  the 
divine  hohiiess  he  taught  that  Jehovah  dwelt  apart  from  this  world.  The 
Jew  had  become  j  deist.  Bold  and  hard  .is  this  doctrine  was  it  ex- 
pressed a  fai  profounder  religious  idea  than  that  of  the  Greeks,  who 
allowed  their  gods  freerjicense  than  men  in  their  debaucheries.  Jehovah 
was  for  the  Jew  at  once  the  source  and  thi:  standard  of  all  moral  ex- 
cellence. PIai>,  :.ad  put  this  dilemma.  Is  holiness  holiness  because  it  is 
loved  by  the  gods?  or  is  it  loved  by  the  gods  because  it  is  holiness? 
The  Hebrew  replied,  The  will  of  God  is  holiness.  Holiness  is  not  a  law 
that  stands  above  and  outside  God.  Garbled  as  was  the  teaching  of  ihe 
later  scribes,  the  message  of  Israel  was  always  recognizable,  that  God  is 
an  ethical  Person  from  whom  comes  the  unchanging  moral  order  of  the 
world. 

3-  But  here  arose  the  despair  of  prophecy  (Isa.  6:5-7).  The  highe. 
ihe  id<s]  of  holiness  the  more  impossible  d'd  its  realization  appear 
Mortal  man  is  overpowered  ty  the  sublime  mitral  excellence  of  Jehovah 
{.jea.  33:30;  Ex.  33:ao).  He  is  the  unapprocchable  Sovereign,  the  only 
incomparible  Object  of  human  adoration.  Purity  of  life  was  a  d'mand 
even  for  the  worshiper  in  the  temple  (Ps.  15;  24:3-6).  How  then  can 
frail,  ainiul  man  draw  near  t'    he  eternal  holy  God  ? 


87 


Tm  T»UTM  or  thi  AfoiTouc  GoinL 


Study  12:    The  Gospel 


Sixth  Day:    The  Prophetic  Conception  of  the  Holiness 
OF  Ck)D  Surpassed  bv  That  of  the  New  Testament 


1  Though  the  •ubttancc  of  Iht  teaching  of  the  prophets  never  qaite 
perithed  from  the  people  even  in  the  most  drgenerale  dayt  of  Judalim, 
there  had  been  a  deplorable  abatement  m  the  ideal.  They  seem  to  nave 
argued  that  since  purity  could  be  found  absolutely  only  m  God,  they 
must  cease  to  aim  too  high.  Man  must  he  satisfied  with  something  less 
exacting  than  absolute  righteousness.  Jehovah  would  be  contented  with 
what  is  attainable  by  so  (rail  .1  creature.  This  led  inevitably  to  the  Jew 
falling  to  the  lower  ideal  which  he  hnd  pitched  for  his  minimum  require- 
ment of  character.    The  heroic  died  out  of  his  morals. 

2  In  the  desert  of  Judica  a  prophet  is  hea'd  once  more  when  John 
the  Baptist  calls  the  people  to  repentance,  and  multitudes  are  consecrated 
to  a  new  life.  Jehovah  is  no  absentee  God.  He  is  coming  to  speak  to 
His  people.  Even  now  the  living  God  is  on  His  way.  There  shall  be 
much  winnowing  on  the  old  threshing  floor  and  a  harvest  of  fresh  grain 
be  brought  in.  The  gospels  open  with  this  call  to  reformation  in  order 
to  prepare  for  appro.iching  judgment  (Matt,  f.l-ll). 

3  Pure  af  was  the  prophetic  idea  of  God.  revived  in  the  preaching  of 
the  Baptist,  it  wai  surpassed  by  that  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles.  God  the 
Father  is  Spirit  (John  4:21-24).  His  holiness  car  longer  be  syin- 
bolized  by  any  such  ritual  as  even  the  prophets  c  Israel  employed. 
True  worship  must  be  in  man's  spirit  where  the  divine  image  has  b«n 
left  upon  him,  and  by  a  communion  which  is  real,  between  God  and  the 
soul  in  very  truth,  and  not  merely  through  the  darkened  glass  of  the 
old  temple  service.  He  is  the  Father,  but  the  Holy  Father  (l  P""  >  ■ 
15-17)  Paul  also  has  a  passion  for  righteousness  (Rom.  9:  ■4-»4 1  3:3-0). 
C>ne  of  the  leading  themes  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  the  necessity 
of  a  more  sympathetic  and  faithful  priest  (Heb.  j:  17:  4:  i4-i6).  a  more 
real  temple  and  a  more  efficient  sacrifice  (7 : 26-28 ;  8:1,  ^^  9J'i'  '°- 
ig-22),  in  order  that  we  may  enjoy  fellowship  with  our  heavetily  Father. 
But  it  is  needless  to  labor  at  such  a  plain  truth  as  speaks  >t°<"'J''y 
page  of  the  New  Testament.  From  God  the  primal  light  is  the  highest 
that  hath  entered  into  the  mind  of  man  of  purity,  virtue,  holiness. 


Till  TiUTH  Of  THi  AnuToiic  Gotnn. 
Study  13;    The  Gospel 


Sevkntu  Day  :    Jesus  Ciihisv  the  Proof  tiia.    Jod  is  Uulv 
Love 

,t,'.  A^"^  i"?i'"i'  """'""'y  "'  "«  N'*  Ttsuir.  11  conception  of  God  i> 
^  .d«  ol  H.I  love  He  ■>  the  Father,  .Ibeit  ,  Holy  father.  Hrre' 
^[?hl.?  iT"  1  ^  "S  ».n<l„"fon'-ilej  it  to  Himielf.  How  i>  ihii 
possible?  It  i«  tircaujc  He  ii  Holy  1.,  »e  (i  John  4:M9).  Only  the 
Hoy  God  could  devue  ulvat.on,  for  all  lin  is  rebellion  against  Hii  will 
Only  the  God  o(  Love  could  effect  salvation,  for  this  is  the  on"  Jower 
that  can  overcome  hate.  Holy  L;  /-  is  not  indiscriminate  benevolence 
a  miality  less  than  the  highest  in  ^      orld  where  moral  order  is  lupreme 

H  ™?^ir  s^i  !i  .     >""»"««  of  the  Kospel  i,  that  God  the  Father 

Himself  has  shown  to  the  world  not  only  His  supreme  love,  hut  His 
supreme  wisdom  in  establishinu  such  a  salvation  (John  l:»:  Ron.  i- 
30;  I  Peter  I  :i8.  19;  t  John  1:7-9). 

3.  This  is  just  the  message  the  world  needs.  But  is  it  true?  A 
prophet  might  have  a  vision  of  such  blessed  hope  rn  of  his  travail  in 
his  world  of  distress  and  sin,  hut  what  proof  co  he  afford  to  others 
Lr™,„ 'l'„»7'."'.  *Tt  "'°"  """S  •"'  o*"  "tral  ">'  upon  the  lurid  back- 
ground of  hfe?  There  are  other  things  in  life  besides  ideals.  We  have 
lJ^Il'lrF",""'u  ^S'n  "igns  Death,  its  curse,  is  part  of  the  crushing 
natural  order  to  which  the  proudest  must  submit.  Is  there  in  reality  a" 
the  noblest  of  our  race  h„ve  believed,  a  realm  of  eternal  truth  beyoni'  ■ 
present,  so  that  this  world  is  but  a  gloomily  brilliant  drop  scene.  >,  . 
shall  some  day  rise  and  disclose  the  glory  that  excelleth? 

3.  In  answer  to  such  questionings  the  unanimous,  nay,  passionate  re- 
ply of  the  New  Testament  writers  is  that  they  have  proof  of  these  be- 
iLvil  tJ"  ^°*'"'^  'i'"=  "her  wor  d  which  are  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
cavil.  Never  since  the  birth  of  history  has  there  been  such  conviction 
Soil  „.  I  ''  °' """"'«"  »"''  °<}^'  triumph  of  human  nature  in  that 
goal  of  all  good,  the  Kingdom  of  God  All  their  avenues  of  sense, 
thought  and  heart  were  crowded  with  proofs  not  to  be  gainsaid  that  the 
things  most  surely  believed  by  them  were  true.  But  these  proofs  were 
all  gathered  up  for  them  in  the  one  great  fact— Jisus  Christ.  He  was 
not  only  the  proof  of  their  gospel.  He  was  their  gospel.  To  use  the 
fine  old  figure.  He  is  the  Rock  of  Ages.  Against  it  waves  might  dash, 
men  might  be  swept  past  it,  mists  and  clouds  might  gather  round  its 
peaks,  but  He  stood  as  the  one  great  fact  that  could  not  be  shaken  In 
Him  was  a  wenlth  of  truth  as  to  the  reconciling  and  triumphant  Holy 
Love  ot  (jod  that  was  beyond  mortal  powers  to  track  out  (Eph  38) 


89 


Thi  Tktth  of  TBI  Apostouc  Gopb. 


Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


First  Day  :    Our  Gospels  the  Product  of  Faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Risen  and  Living  Son  of  God 


the 
common 


1  It  is  assumed  in  the  New  Testament  that  the  foundation  of  the 
Christian  faith  was  'lid  when  Jesus  Christ  appeared  oti  the  scene  of  the 
world's  history.  The  four  gospels  stand  at  its  beginnmg  as  the  source 
from  which  the  new  life  took  its  rise.  Tnese  gospels  were  written  of 
course  by  believers,  and  they  present  the  average  Christian  opinion  of 
Christ  from,  at  latest,  the  last  quarter  of  the  first  century  onwards.  We 
have  no  life  of  Christ,  strange  to  say  not  even  any  significant  estiirate 
of  Him  or  His  work,  from  Jew  or  pagan.  Those  who  wrote  these  gos- 
pels as  they  now  stand  were  not  only  sympathetic  towards  Jesus,  but 
were  persuaded  that  He  had  a  right  to  those  Divine  attributes  whichin 
the  Old  Testament  were  the  prerogatives  of  Jehovah  alone.  So  every  in- 
cident of  His  life  on  earth  is  recorded  by  men  who  were  convinced  that 
He  was  the  Son  of  God.  The  facts  are  dyed  m  the  color  m  which  they 
were  immersed. 

2  Every  gospel  was  written  after  the  epistles  of  Paul.  They  saw 
lielit  first  in  a  world  which,  we  have  already  seen,  accepted  a  eomi 
gSspel,  and  the  evident  purpose  of  each  narrative  is  so  to. portray  the 
fife  of  Jesus  as  to  edify  a  cWch  already  holding  a  psffl  ■■>  »"  '^^^. 
tials  the  same  as  that  given  us  in  the  epistles  of  Paul.  Even  the  gospel 
of  M*k,^1ch  is  accepted  to-day  by  scholars  as  t^e  earliest  0  all,  _;s 
in  its  present  form  a  portraiture  of  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  m  very 
much  the  same  sense  as  Rom.  1 : 1-4. 

1  For  our  present  purpose  therefore  we  may  take  our  gospels  as 
they  now  stand,  postponing  any  ulterior  q«"f™s  as  to  the  Jesus  of  Ins- 
tory  since  our  aim  is  to  study  the  Person  whom  the  Church,  whose 
lifV  we  have  already  seen,  placed  at  the  heart  of  her  gospel.  That 
Church  found  both  h'^r  mot'ive  and  her  hope  in  the  Chnst  who,,  nature 
was  far  beyond  any  human  proportions,  and  believed  intensely  that  this 
Sil?  wis'^also  the  Jesus  0?  hfstory.  Unfortunately  P,e;ha?s  <^e  may 
say,  this  belief  is  not  so  universal  m  our  age,  "sicklied  <>"  "'* 'J^  Pf'5 
cast  of  thought."  But  what  Figure  is  it  that  comes  forth  with  such 
majesty  from  the  pages  of  our  gospels? 


90 


Th«  Ikuih  op  thi  ArosTouc  Gospei. 
Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Second  Day:    Elements  in  His  Perfect  Character-Its 
Equipoise 

Ideal  of  perfect  beauty  into  marble •  Jesus  Christ  LiJ>SL<"^  ""!,'"? 
beauty  in  human  flesh  and  Wood    'He  "iso^ I'iedTnff ^  LZ'l'  "■"' 

ltpl°^'t^ToseTar-pr?;otli"3t,"'^'«''<^^^^^^ 

from  ieaf'rL'i"wrrb°U''thi"l:.h'/"r/^  '«■"  °'  •>"«  ^"^  '"' 


The  Truth  or  thi  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Third  Day  :    His  Sinlessness 

I  rh^  There  is  no  trace  of  self-dissatisfaction  in  the  life  of  Jesus. 
It  is  true  that  He  grew  in  wisdom  (Luke  a: 53),  and  the  temptation 
(Luke  4:1-13)  is  explicable  only  on  the  "'"■"P""".,"'"  *5'"  <^°i' 
wUl  was  revealed  to  Him  in  the  baptism.  He  fouiid  «  a  hard  strugge 
To  atondon  the  ideal  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  till  this  time  He 
had  cher°fhed  as  the  will  of  God,  for  the  higher  ideal  of  w.nmug  the 
Wngdom  through  a  life  of  suffering.  But  the  narrat.ve  distinctly  sa^s 
that  He  was  victorious  (4:13),  and  thus  far  He  had  evidently  attained. 
(SttfltruggUs  cir,  nUab?;^he  agoni«d  fear  of  Gethsemane  (^^^^^^ 
m744),  but  they  reveal  to  us  the  process  by  which  He  learn«i  obedience 
nitb  \-7.  8),  a  progress  in  which  He  put  his  foot  firmly,  if  often  with 
infinUe  pa  n!  on  t'he  step  that  rose  before  Him  and  never  wavered  nor 
retrrated  Unlike  the  ordinary  man  He  displays  none  of  the  repeated 
effort  to  force  a  reluctant  and  undisciplined  lower  self  into  obedience 
to  His  higher  nature.  Of  all  men  He  alone  can  be  said  to  have  at- 
tained. 

2  The  distress  of  Jesus  is  occasioned  by  the  evils  amcmg  »*ich  He 
fee  s  constrained  to  live.  His  love  impels  Him  to  sacrifice  His  own 
"iitJTn  order  to  place  Himself  alongside  of  men  whose  natures  and 
condSon",  so  anta|onistic  to  His  own  in  ""■;„ 7'£^^'V7he  jep^h 
caused  Him  intense  suffering.  Agamst  the  purity  of  His  life  'be  depth 
to  which  hatred  can  go  seems  abysmal.  No  one  by  life  »,"*  "°fa  tas 
ever  riven  even  approximately  such  a  relentless  exposure  of  the  heart  of 
li^  Tmrt  from  the  interpretation  of  Gethsemane  as  the  proof  that 
Jesus  h^d  taken  upon  HiSself  a  responsibility  for  sins,  wl"?h  were 
causing  Him  no  sense  of  personal  guilt.  He  is  not  so  brave  in  death 
as  many  an  average  man. 

■>  Tesus  looks  into  the  mirror  of  His  own  heart  to  find  reflected 
there  the  will^f  God  (Matt.  11 :27;  John  5:19).  Paul  on  the  ontrary 
always  looks  to  Christ,  and  his  life  is  one  o?  desperate  struggle,  the  odds 
beTnlofKrso  heavy  against  him  that  he  almost  fears  fo'  the  '"y'' 
(I  Cor  ■'•J?).  Jesus  having  created  a  new  sense  of  sin  in  the  word 
and  hiving  set  an  unattainable  standard  of  conduct  before  men,  must 
surelv  bi  finless  if  He  is  thus  free  from  self-dissatisfaction.  He  reads 
^hearts  of  others  (Mark  2:9)  ;  could  He  not  read  His  »*"•  »"d  s« 
the  slightest  taint  of  sin  if  there  had  been  any  there?  Could  He  in 
{?mh  have  uttered  the  words  of  Matt.  11:28-30  unless  He  had  been 
pure  in  heart? 


9» 


Thi  Truth  of  th«  Atostouc  Gospel 


Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Fourth  Dav:    His  Svmpathv,  and  Attitude  Towards  God 

harshn«s  (Luke  7:47  John  5™!  •  Mark\' "^s?" ,">  "'"•»=''  ""hou; 
purity  He  can  deal  me^cifuUy  w  th  the  sinntr^  rq,  "  ""''  ?/  "'^  o*" 
sage  inserted  in  John  8:1-1  A  In  th^  m".rl.l„^  "  especially  the  pas- 
passes  the  greatest  of  H  sipos.  es  wh^for  l?r,h~'"'''"''r  "«  '"" 
casionally  overstepped  the  mark  f  Gal?  ■„     «       '"■  S°"'  """'>'  «- 

I.  John  2:22  with  K.I^S)^Sfel.;'t'-,.•'='•  ^^°.'■  "•'"•;  =f- 

tion  guilt,  how  to  hold  the^ilince  between  what  wa?^. ''hi':''*  '?  "*■»'- 
presence.     Even  J^'-^^'^^^St^SI  T^^UZ  ^^^^ 

isi&:SrtSS/^.r^^^  « 

hun«n  sorrows  (Mar^k  "Ss"  Before  t^ecrisefnfV^'"''"'''^^?^  '^'"' 
nourishment   (John  4:34)      Every  turn  th»?™™       °  ?"  S'"  '»  "« 

K"v'^^7^?biSS^---- 

^St  td  la"  """  -?i?"  '<>  "«^n"    .W°?feTuf'HirSeTf 

d:,;\'„"d'^^ti't  *5  t'o°w"ij5st?;.;irra''.hi?  "-^  «-='  "-">'"- »' "- 


93 


Thi  Truth  or  thi  Apostolic  Gospil 
Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Fifth  Day: 


Some  Leading  Principles  in  the  Teaching 
OF  Jesus 

1  (2)  The  teaching  of  Jesus  contributes  largely  to  the  estimate 
which  we  form  of  the  character  of  this  Person  in  whom  the  brotherhood 
believed.  His  doctrine  dealt  chiefly  with  eternal  life  in  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  Its  conditions  of  entrance  are  given  in  John  3:3;  Matt  18 : 3 .  and 
the  quality  of  its  members  in  Matt.  5.:l-j6-,  They  "« '"""d  °«f  «°  > 
most  stringent  righteousness  penetrating  below  the  letter  of  Gods  law 
w  its  spirit  (Matt.  S-'7-x>).    There  are  two  foci  to  the  ellipse  of  the 

ife  of  a  citizen  of  the  Kingdom  of  God-love  to  God  and  love  to  man 
(Mark  12:28-31).  Love  is  thus  the  fulfillmg  of  the  law.  Now  for- 
evermore  religion  and  morali/  are  united.  It  is  true  that  the  Old 
Testament  prophets  had  sought  to  unite  what  the  ritualists  had  divorced, 
^'nUih  comparative  unsuccess  (Micah  6:8)-  J""' J''-™?"  ■«° 
prominence  the  deepest  truths  of  the  old  covenant  and  made  them  live 
in  the  hearts  of  His  disciples.  .  .      ,  ,  ...  , 

2  He  distinguishes  what  is  ethical  and  spiritual  from  what  is  merely 
ceremcTnial  or  dvil  (Matt.  5:21-6:18). .  Essentially  different  as  they 
are  in  themselves  they  lay  side  by  side  m  the  Jewish  «™0";y  "  '"- 
timately  as  the  particles  in  a  heap  of  iron  filings  and  sulphur,  though 
they  were  never  fused  into  one,  and  in  that  age  there  was  no  prophetic 
power  which  like  the  magnet  could  disengage  the  true.steel  from  the 
fieap.  Jewry  was  ruled  more  by  caste  than  by  true  religion.  But  Jesus 
swept  away  the  artificial  and  unethical  distinctions  of  ritual  cleanness 
(Mark  7:1-23).  This  was  to  prove  a  far-reaching  revolution,  though 
formally  it  was  only  the  clear  enunciation  of  the  old  demand  for  purity 
of  heart  (Prov.  4:23).  Instead  of  the  worship  of  the  letter  or  the  form, 
God  must  be  worshiped  in  spirit  and  in  truth  (John  4:23.  24),  and  along 
with  this  must  go  genuije  service  towards  man,  which  is  most  truly 
illustrated  in  the  life  of  tne  Son  of  man  (Mark  lo:45). 

1  The  teaching  of  Jesus  does  not  consist  of  precepts,  nor  is  it  a  new 
codified  morality,  but  it  comprehends  a  few  universal  principles  which 
cover  the  life  of  roan  as  it  relates  to  God,  his  fellow,  and  himself.  He 
teaches  further  that  the  Old  Testament  when  rightly  understood  con- 
tains  the  substance,  if  it  be  only  in  bud  of  what  in  His  words  bursts 
forth  into  full  flower  (Matt.  5:17-20;  John.  5: 46,  47).  But  they  have  a 
wonderful  originality,  (a)  He  gives  the  old  ideas  new  emphasis,  new 
perspe"  ive  andrspiritual  purity  which  the  Old  Testament  setting  often 
ibscured.  This  is  most  obviously  so  in  His  doc  rme  of  God  as  the  holy 
vet  loving  Father  of  each  individual  who  w.l .  accept  the  sa  yation 
kis  lov?  has  provided  (John  3:16).  .  (b)  Religion  and  mo"«y  ?« 
Sdissolubly  c<^bined,  and  the  essential. and  formal  in  worshij^,  civil 
ordinances  and  the  ethical  life  distinguish-'     /  '^  .f"]^^}  P""xifl^ 

fMatt  12:7;  0:14-17;  6:1-18).  (c)  Mo.a;.iy  is  widened  to  embrace 
iiankind      Whoever   is   in   need  is  one's  neighbor     Lfj,  >°:^37)^ 

(For  the  subject  of  this  study  see  Bosworth's  "Studies  m  the  Teachmg 
of  Jesus,"  XVI.— xxiii.) 

94 


Thi  T»uth  of  ihi  Apostouc  Gosm. 
Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Sixth  Day:    Jesus  as  a  Worker  of  Miracles 


1.  To  appreciate  the  effect  of  this  teaching  on  the  disciples  and  the 
S^l'i',"''"^?'.?""."'"""'"^  "-e  wonderful  character  ^Him  who 
taught,  and  further  the  power  which  was  disclosed  in  His  life  Person 
words  and  works  are  afi  combined  in  our  gospel,  to  produce  a  fS 
of  extraordinary  impressiveness.  So  we  proceed  to  the  niiracilSi! 
element  m  the  gospels  as  they  stand.  miraculous 

2.  Jesus  has  great  influence  over  the  demons,  workint  by  the  finirer 
of  God  results  that  put  the  Pharisees  to  shame.  Their  exorcilmwal 
as,  a  rule  a  bunghng  imposition  (Mark  3:22-27;  cf.  Luke  uu-^) 
Hjs^mmistry  is  filed  with  the  liberation  of  victims  to  tWs  awfiil  te^U 

i-^Aj*""  "?■  °""'"  ""'f*?''  ^■'h  >  Sreater  show  of  power  embedded 
m  these  narratives,  not  only  miracles  of  healing  (Matt  4:24712  VV) 

(MarkT"«  ^l'fi",„°'„'-,"'''5r'^''  7"  "^'"«  in  its  mightier  aspem 
UwarK  5. 35-43.  6:30-52).  No  reader,  however,  can  fail  to  be  struck 
by  the  sobriety  of.  the  delineation,  for  all  these  migh°y  deeds  ^elter- 
S"  Th^^'SiStM'o"'"/'',  ""  ^°"h  J«"'  "  '  marvelous  moral  char- 
nr  Srint;.  J  S^i  r?  •  ^'?"''  '"  "''"'''  °""  »"<■  '"  »"  ""=  spiritual 
aTili^ftow^ork^miracles.""*  "'  ^"""'^'''  "■™""  "■'  -"--O"  "' 
i,.II"'l"<"  "o"""8  °'  the  mythological  in  this  Figure.  The  mythical 
hero  performs  wondrous  deeds  in  order  to  magnify  his  own  glory  in 
i.fj:,^'''  °',,°'t?'''  ""■"  V  ''rtricating  himseK  from  a  dilfifulJJ  i? 
astounding  by  his  power,  /esus  never  does  this  (Matt.  4:1-7)  He 
IS  thoroughly  human  as  far  as  He  Himself  is  concerned.  His  power  is 
r.«l!!,"^  °A  '.t'  ^°°i  °'  "the"-  Then  His  works  are  sane,  self- 
restrained  and  ethical  So  their  effect  on  the  people  was  not  to  fill  them 
with  alarm  as  though  their  life  were  delivered Tp  to  the  caprice  of  an 
fh^fT^'i  .""«"■  "'  «^.Tf  .""T  '^'"ead  a  <cnse  of  security,  because 
they  felt  that  His  pure  will  lay  behind  His  works.  A  particularly  in- 
structive example  ,5  afforded  by  Luke  s:8,  where  Peter's  surprise  is 
aroused  not  by  the  display  of  power,  but  by  the  holiness  of  One  who 
could  do  such  a  miracle.  No  figure  in  literature  competes  with  Jesus  in 
ge  sanity  of  His  miracles,  and  the  perfect  moral  restraint  under  which 
He  performs  them  for  the  good  of  others  rather  than  of  Himself 


95 


i! 
1,(1 


The  Truth  of  thi  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  13:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels 


Seventh  Day:    The  Place  of  the  Miracles  of  Jesus  in 
THE  Apostolic  Gospel 

I.  We  may  consider  now  what  contribution  the  miracles  of  Jesus 
made  to  the  gospel  in  the  view  of  those  who  have  recorded  thein  for  us.. 

Those  disciples  believed  intensely  that  Jeius  was  Lord  of  this  world, 
so  that  He  was  able  to  save  them  from  any  e,  !ily  disaster.  Love  was 
at  the  helm  and  would  bring  them  safely  through,  for  He  could  say  to 
the  waves,  "Peace,  be  stilr  (Mark  4:3S-4i)-  This  belief  was  un- 
doubtedly a  great  source  of  comfort  to  His  followers,  who  from  the 
sixth  decade  of  the  first  century  were  subjected  to  world  forces  so 
hostile  that  nothing  but  the  most  vivid  faith  in  a  Master  who  was  Lord 
even  of  world  empires  would  suffice  to  deliver  them.  Is  the  buoyant 
faith  of  the  Apocalypse  and  of  the  early  Church  generally  to  be  credited 
with  transmuting  a  non-miraculous  Jesus  into  the  all-powerful  Christ, 
simply  because  thty  needed  such  an  one  to  support  them  in  their  trials? 
When  men  are  sinking  in  a  storm  they  need  more  than  a  straw  to  jjave 
them. 

a.  The  miraculous  control  of  Jesus  over  the  world  also  supplied  their 
gospel  with  the  truth  that  the  world  must  serve  the  kingdom,  and  the 
material  become  a  slave  to  the  spiritual.  His  sovereignty  over  nature 
never  seemed  to  them  to  violate  law,  for  according  to  His  teaching  and 
their  belief,  the  world  vas  nothing  in  itself,  and  was  only  to  last  until 
God's  purposes  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  this  earthly  scene  should 
be  complete  (Matt.  24:14,  29-31,  35)-  The  natural  world  was  merely  a 
stage  for  a  spiritual  drama. 

3.  Life  remained  for  them  very  much  as  it  had  been.  They  toiled  for 
their  living,  they  had  pain,  they  died,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  had 
raised  some  from  the  dead.  They  saw  that  He  had  not  delivered  Himself 
from  privation,  nor  sl  Tering,  nor  any  untoward  circumstances,  not  even 
from  death  itself.  And  tl-..t  not  because  He  was  unable  to  do  so,  but  be- 
cause in  His  love  and  wisdom  He  had  other  purposes  for  His  kingdom. 
So  they,  too,  acquiesced  in  a  life  of  privation  and  martyrdom  like  His, 
and  did  not  lose  hope.  H  He  did  not  rescue  them  from  the  demonic 
forces  of  the  world  it  was  not  from  His  lack  of  power,  or  love.  The 
reason  lay  in  His  inscrutable  will.  All  life  for  them  was  one.  Jesus 
Christ  was  Lord  of  all.  This  fact  they  traced  back  to  the  earthly  life  of 
Jesus,  whose  illimitable  power  dispensed  by  His  perfect  love  to  all  in 
need,  first  proved  to  them  that  He  was  supreme  over  the  outer  world  of 
sense,  and  thereafter  was  guiding  the  humblest  human  soui  without 
fail  to  a  final  destiny  of  good  (cf.  Acts  2  ■  "2 ;  10 :  38) . 


Thi  Tiutb  of  ihi  Afostouc  Gospil 


Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels— His  Claim 


P' 

la 


First  Day  :    Jesus  puts  Himself  Forward  as  an  Integral 
Portion  of  His  Message 

I.  Whom  then  does  Jesus  Christ  claim  to  be— so  perfect  in  His  hu- 
man character,  so  full  of  majesty,  so  unique  in  His  teaching,  so  impres- 
sive with  His  power?  He  speaks  with  incomparable  authority,  never 
ranking  Himself  with  the  prophets.  He  comes  forward  as  One  beyond 
whom  there  is  no  appeal.  He  never  weighs  and  balances,  but  decides 
with  unerring  insight.  The  people  were  not  long  in  discovering  a  new 
authority  in  ftim  (Mark  1 :2i,  22).  The  scribes  taught  precedent  upon 
precedeni,  always  finding  their  authority  in  the  Mosaic  law,  or  its  tradi- 
tional mterpretation  through  the  great  rabbis.  Jesus  places  over  against 
Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,"  a  "but  I  say  unto  you"  (Matt  f 
^1L?^IP-  t'  ^*-  '■'•'•  ?'^^!"'"8  ""ereby  that  He  can  abrogate  the  Mosaic 
legislation  by  giving  it  His  own  fulfillment  of  its  meaning.  This  no 
prophet  could  have  done,  for  Moses  had  received  the  law  by  direct  reve- 
lation from  God.  Hence  in  issuing  new  legislation  for  His  kingdom 
Jesus  makes  an  implicit  claim  to  be  above  Moses.  Jesus  is  °ot  a 
prophet  reviving  the  teaching  of  the  past.  The  old  in  His  words  be- 
comes new. 

2.  Further  the  authority  of  Jesus,  as  the  gospels  show  Him.  does  not 
reside  in  the  teaching  itself,  as  though  it  were  a  word  of  God  whoever 
spoke  It.  His  gospel  does  not  stand  independently  of  Himself  as  did  the 
message  of  the  prophet,  of  whom  it  was  said,  "The  word  of  the  Lord 
came  unto  the  prophet"  (i  Sam.  3:7:  Jer.  17:15;  Hosea  1:2;  Zech.  4: 
6).  Jesus  utters  the  word  as  His  own.  Further  He  Himself  is  part  of 
His  message.  He  demands  faith  in  Himself  as  a  source  of  power  and 
life  (Matt  11:27-30;  18:6).  He  stands  in  the  center  of  the  hopes  and 
fortunes  of  His  disciples  (Luke  12:8).  In  His  name  mighty  deeds  are 
to  be  done  (Matt.  7:22;  Luke  9:49;  Mark  9:23)  and  works  of  mercy 
performed  (Mark  9:39).  Especially  is  this  true  in  the  fourth  gospel. 
Jesus  becomes  food  for  His  followers.  His  flesh  and  blood  giving  them 
spiritual  sustenance  (John  3:16;  4:10,  14:  6:35,  51,  53-57).  He  is  the 
Vine  and  His  disciples  like  branches  ingrafted  into  Him  draw  from  Him 
their  nutriment  (John  15:1-5).  Jesus  Himself  is  the  Saviour  of  men 
(Mark  2:17,  omit  "to  repentance"  as  in  R.  V.;  Luke  19:10;  Mark  n- 
31;  Luke  4:23;  John  4:42).  ^' 


97 


The  Tbuth  of  tui  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels — His  Claim 


Second  Day:    Jesus  Forgives  Sins 


1.  Analogous  to  this  is  the  authority  with  which  Jesus  forgives  sins, 
assuming  to  exercise  a  prerogative  which  the  Jews  regarded  with  right 
as  peculiarly  divine  (Mark  2:7).  His  enemies  readilv  detected  the  dif- 
ference b';,ween  such  a  general  statement  as  "God  forgives  thy  sins," 
which  any  one  might  utter  as  a  fact,  to  be  either  disbelieved  or  accepted 
as  a  truism  in  many  cases  by  those  who  listen,  and  the  authoritative 
"Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee,"  which  in  the  mouth  of  Chris*  compelled 
belief  and  brought  a  most  gracious  sense  of  pardon.  Multitudes  of  sick 
souls  cannot  bring  themselves  to  believe  that  God  will  forgive  their  sins. 
They  think  they  are  in  too  grievous  a  case.  But  Jesus  persuaded  those 
who  listened  to  Him  that  their  sins  were  forgiven  (Mark  2:5-12;  Luke 
7 ;  47-50;  John  8:11).  There  was  something  in  His  presence  ihat 
brought  instant  relief  to  their  hearts.  Men  diii  not  question  that  He  had 
a  right  to  do  this,  for  a  gracious  peace-giving  power  proceeded  from 
Him  and  caused  a  great  calm  to  pass  upon  their  troubled  spirits.  They 
did  not  question  whether  possibly  they  would  still  have  to  settle  their 
accounts  with  God  against  whom  their  sins  had  really  been  committed. 
His  pardon  they  were  persuaded  carried  with  it  that  of  God  also. 

2.  To  pluck  from  the  memory  a  rooted  sorrow,  to  assuage  remorse, 
was  a  diviner  act  than  to  heal  disease,  inasmuch  as  the  cure  of  the  soul 
demands  a  physician  of  subtler  insight  and  more  potent  remedies.  And 
it  is  only  smce  Jesus  has  appeared  on  earth  that  this  truth  of  forgive- 
ness has  become  an  axiom  of  the  Christian  consciousness.  As  long  as 
Israel  had  only  its  outward  ritual  the  sense  of  pardon  was  never  pro- 
found, for  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  could  never  take  away  sin.  Israel 
was  left  with  a  burden  of  transgression  for  which  there  was  indeed  a 
promise  of  removal,  but  nothing  more  actual  than  a  symbolic  atonement 
(Heb.  10:1-4).  So  the  great  promise  of  the  new  covenant  to  be 
initiated  in  the  Messianic  age  was  that  sins  would  be  forgiven  (Jer.  31 : 
34;  cf.  Heb.  10:15-18).  Jesus  made  the  gift  real.  He  brovght  it  down 
to  earth,  and  on  His  own  initiative  He  did  what  no  man  had  ever  done 
before— He  forpave  sins,  and  made  His  disciples  feel  that  He  could 
cleanse  their  guilt  away. 


98 


Thi  Tiuth  or  tbi  Apoitouc  Goifil 
Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels— His  Claim 


Thikd  Day:    The  Term  "Son  of  Man,"  and  Its  Old 
Testament  Antecedent? 

I.  The  names  applied  to  Jejus  in  the  gospels  are  very  significant  of 
i!,,.  t„  j''  ^",  'Z  '" ,"  "J=  "'"  ""■"  ""ey  are  claims  which  He 
puts  forward.  Of  these  far  the  most  frequent  is  the  term,  "Son  of 
Man,  employed  only  by  Jesus  of  Himself,  never  by  His  disciples.  We 
are  not  concerned  here  with  any  discussion  of  what  the  title  may  have 
signified  as  It  was  originally  used.  Our  purpose  is  simply  to  examine  it 
m  the  gospels  as  they  stand,  so  that  we  may  get  some  idea  of  whai  it 
conveyed  to  the  church  from  which  our  gospels  sprang. 

a.  Jesus  uses  it  of  Himself  in  every  phase  of  His  activity— Fla  lowli- 
",<.",'"  ^■^}'  Si'  ">»)"»  (Mark  3:28),  His  service  (Luke  10: 
10;  Mark  10:45),  His  glorious  future  (Luke  21;.?;  Matt.  26:64) 
Majesty  in  humiliation,  power  through  suffering,  royal  victory  by  ser- 
vice—this varied  experience  falls  to  the  Son  oS  Man  He  must  be  a 
Person  of  extraordinary  range  of  character.  Who  can  this  Son  of  Man 
be?  was  the  question  which  the  people  put  after  He  had  taught  th'ra 
for  some  time  (John  12:34). 

3.  There  are  certain  passages  in  the  Old  Testament  which  might  sug- 
gest a  great  Figure  to  come,  01  whom  some  seers  caught  glimpses 
though  they  never  saw  Him  face  to  face.  Ps  8  contains  a  remarkable 
prophecy  of  the  coming  glory  of  man  as  compared  with  his  present 
trailty.  Dan.  7:13,  14  also  speaks  of  an  eternal  Kingdom  of  One  like 
unto  a  Son  of  man  to  take  the  place  of  those  founded  on  brute  force 
The  prophecies  of  Isaiah  also  foretell  a  kingdom  to  be  established  in 
righteousness  (6c:  I,  18-22),  which  is  to  be  set  up  through  the  agency 
of  the  Servant  of  the  Lord  (53:61).  This  is  the  most  magnificent  con- 
ception of  prophecy. 

4.  It  cannot  be  said  that  these  passages  as  they  stand  in  the  Old 
Testament  uive  a  very  coherent  picture,  nor  need  we  be  liurprised  that 
the  Jewish  ideas  as  to  the  person  of  their  coming  Deliverer  were  exceed- 
ingly vague.  Looking  back  we  can  read  the  gist  of  the  .1— man  is  to  be 
delivered  from  his  present  humiliation  into  an  eternal  kingdom  of  right- 
eousness. The  Lord  of  this  kingdom  is  to  be  a  divinely  commissioned 
One  like  unto  a  Son  of  man  with  all  glorious  human  dignity ;  preceding 
this  final  glory  there  is  a  process  of  much  suffering  on  the  part  of  the 
Servant  of  the  Lord  who  redeems  His  brethren.  But  we  read  that  unity 
into  all  fiese  passages  and  ideas  because  Jesus  Christ  stands  for  us  in 
the  gospels.  Look  into  His  life— the  life  of  the  Son  of  Man  on  earth, 
and  there  come  streaming  up  into  its  focussed  light  all  those  divergent 
rays  from  hidden  depths  of  prophecy. 


99 


Tui  Tbutb  or  thi  Akstouc  Gofm. 


Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels— His  Claim 


Fourth  Day  :    The  Method  of  Christ's  Self-Revelation 
AS  Son  of  Man 


I,  It  seems  then  that  Jesus  used  the  term,  "Son  of  M»n, '  as  a  para- 
ble, sunestive  of  these  forcsifhts  of  the  Messiah.  To  have  spoken  of 
Himself  to  the  people  as  Messiah  would  have  been  to  defeat  His  pur- 
pose, for  they  had  one  idri  of  that  Figure,  and  He  wished  to  teach  them 
another.  He  wished  to  create  in  Hit  own  life  a  new  conception  of  what 
Messiah  should  be,  so  He  iivoided  the  term  itself  as  current  but  debased 
coin.  But  as  He  lived,  wrought,  blessed,  forgave  sins,  called  men  unto 
Him,  taught  words  of  grace  and  truth,  made  the  future  of  men  de- 
pendent on  their  attitude  to  Himself  (Mark  8:38),  people  bogan  to  ask. 
Who  is  this  Person?  Can  Messiah  be  greater  than  He?  Must  He  not 
be  the  Messiah?  (John  7:31).  Then  when  the  time  was  ripe,  and  his 
followers  had  received  an  ineffaceable  impression  of  the  charactev  of 
Jesus,  He  admiit  A  that  He  was  the  One  to-  whom  they  were  looI<ing, 
foretold  in  Scrip. jre^the  very  Messiah. 

a.  The  fi'st  real  acknowledgment  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  made 
with  any  iiipreciation  of  its  meaning,  is  thst  of  Peter  (Matt.  16:15) 
within  the  immediate  circle  of  His  followers.  And  Jesus  regards  it  as 
nothing  less  than  a  revelation  from  God  Himself— so  different  was  He, 
the  actual  Messiah,  from  the  figure  of  popular  imagination.  It  was 
probably  not  until  a  year  later  that  the  people  gave  Him  Messianic  ac- 
claim on  His  entry  into  Jerusalem  (Matt.  21 :  l-ll). 

3  The  method  of  Jesus  is  to  send  His  disciples  back  to  the  Scriptures 
to  discover  there  the  true  meaning  of  the  divine  promises  so  that  they 
may  learn  surely  if  slowly  that  they  are  being  fulfilled  in  a  far  deeper 
sense  in  His  life  than  they  at  first  imagined.  At  the  outset  of  His  career 
He  tells  the  people  that  He  is  to  do  the  work  of  the  Servant  of  the 
Lord  as  outlined  in  Isa.  61:1,  2  (Luke  4:16-30).  When  John  in  his 
despondency  sends  from  prison  to  ask  Jesus  whether  He  is  really  the 
Messiah,  instead  of  answering  directly  He  bids  his  diciples  report  to 
their  master  the  works  of  Jesus  so  that  he  may  see  that  the  promise  of 
the  Servant  is  being  fulfilled  in  Galilee  (Luke  7:18-23). 


Tut  Tbuth  of  the  ApotTOLic  Gotra. 
Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels — His  Claim 


Fifth  Day:    The  Death  and  R     urn  in  Glory  of  the 
Son  of  Man 


1.  Ai  th*  months  rolled  by  and  the  disciples  were  perk'jadcH  that 
Jesus  was  c-  Christ,  He  revealed  (o  them  the  fact  that  Messiah  must 
die  (Mar  Hiji),  and  this  was  repeated  auain  and  again  to  most  un- 
willing lt.irncrs  (Mark  9:31 ;  10:  J4<  45)-  Unintelligible  as  the  word  was 
it  should  not  have  been  altogether  new,  for  the  note  of  sacrifice  must 
have  run  like  an  undertone  through  His  life.  Even  when  He  made  the 
highest  claims  and  was  most  prescient  of  coming  glory,  He  was  the 
Servant  of  the  Lord.  This  profoundest  conception  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment should  have  been  a  counterpoise  to  their  extravagant  hopes,  for  a 
true  Israelite  should  have  known  that  iiirael  could  never  be  redeemed 
without  suffering  (Luke  34:35-37,  45,  46). 

2.  Another  large  element  in  the  Old  Testament  hope  of  the  Mes- 
sianic age  was  the  new  covenant  (Jer.  31 :3iff.)  whereby  God  would  par- 
don the  sins  of  the  true  Israel.  So  one  of  the  lant  and  most  solemn  acts 
of  Mes'iah  h  to  institute  this  new  covenant  in  Hia  own  blood  (Matt  36: 
37,  38),  that  thereby  the  many  may  receive  pardon  for  their  sins.  This 
is  a  supreme  symbolical  act  of  the  Servant  of  the  Lord,  but  the  real 
agony  of  pouring  out  His  soul  unto  death  does  not  come  till  Gethsemane 
and  His  tria!  (Matt.  36:38,  .^o :  John  19:10.  11).  The  travail  of  soul 
Aas  followed  by  its  reward,  when  as  He  always  foretold,  and  as  the 
narrative  records.  He  rises  the  glorious  Son  of  God  to  enter  into  His 
eternal  kingdom.  This  ueath  according  to  the  fourth  gospel  is  a  part 
of  His  exaltation  to  a  larger  life  (John  10: 16;  13:33). 

3.  We  cannot  wonder  that  the  disciples  were  amazed  at  the  death  of 
such  a  perfect  Being  as  Jesus.  At  first  it  seemed  as  though  He  were 
deliberately  courting  death,  and  that  this  madness  would  bring  His 
Kingdom  to  an  end  (Luke  13:22.  31-35:  Mark  10:33).  Only  experience 
taught  them  the  necessity  that  He  should  reach  His  glorious  throne 
through  suffering.  For  Jesus  claimed  that  the  Son  of  Man  would  re- 
turn in  glory  to  be  the  Judge  of  all  (Mark  8:38;  Matt.  7:33.  33;  34:30, 
31;  36:64).  His  rising  from  the  dead  was  not  to  be  the  final  dealing 
of  Jesus  with  the  children  of  men. 

4.  So  Jesus  used  the  term.  Son  of  Man.  as  a  parable.  It  covered  His 
claims  as  Messiah.  The  Son  of  Man  of  His  creation  was  the  Messiah 
He  wished  to  be.  As  Son  of  Man  He  is  fulfiUer  of  the  past,  and  Head  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  To  Him  all  must  come,  He  is  the  supreme  Man, 
who  has  proved  His  right  to  be  Lord  of  the  kingdom  of  men  becaur-c  by 
His  sacrifice  He  has  won  it  (Mark  10:45).  The  many  have  been  ran- 
somed thereby  and  have  their  sins  pardoned.  But  the  full  glory  of  the 
Messiah  will  only  be  manifest  when  the  Son  of  Man  returns  to  judgment. 


THt  Truth  or  tui  AroinLic  Gocm. 


Study  14:    The  Jesus  of  the  Gospels— His  Claim 


Sixth  Day:    Juus  the  Son  op  God 


1.  Jesus  also  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  The  gospel  ii  the  gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God  (Mark  i:i).  He  is  initiated  into  His  public  career 
at  His  baptism  bv  a  voice  from  Hii  Father  (Matt.  3:17).  ^rilar  words 
tre  .  peated  at  the  t.ans6guration  (Matt.  i;:5),  a  scene  whicli  sets  forth 
as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  do  so  the  inherent  glory  of  Christ':  Person. 
The  blaze  of  light  was  the  concomitant  in  nature  of  the  moral  and 
spiritual  excellence  that  burst  upon  them  for  a  moment. 

2.  Jesu*  always  addresses  God  as  "my  Father,"  never  uniting  with 
His  disciples  to  call  Him  "our  Father."  Also  His  assent  to  the  ques- 
tion of  the  high  priest  at  His  trial  (Matt.  26:63)  ■>  regarded  by  the 
court  as  blasphemv.  All  these  incidents  ar'^  explicable  on  the  far- 
reaching  claim  to  Divine  nature  which  He  puts  forth  in  Matt.  11:27-30. 
Two  positions  are  involved  here:  (a)  that  nothing  tut  divine  inspira- 
tion ran  enable  any  one  to  understand  who  the  Son  really  is  (cf.  Matt. 
16:17) :  (h)  none  can  know  the  real  nature  of  God  the  Father  except 
through  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ.  Therefore  the  Son  alone  can  call  the 
weary  ^ind  heavy  laden  to  Him  for  rest.  Equally  sovereign  claims  to  ihe 
divine  lature  are  uttered  by  Jesus  in  Matt.  18:20;  38:1^30.  His  life  is 
a  continuous  power  unimpaired  by  death  and  unlimited  by  time  and 
•pace. 

3.  In  the  fourth  gospel  the  divine  natur*  of  Jesus  ts  the  theme  of 
many  ut  the  discourses.  As  in  Matt.  11 :37,  sx,  in  John  i :  18  the  Son  is 
the  only  Revcaler  of  the  Father.  He  is  one  with  ^e  Father  in  knowl- 
e  gc,  power  and  life  (John  5: 20.  21,  26).  Life  radi"*':>g  from  the  Father 
becomes  in  the  Son  a  new  nucleus  of  light  as  it  wer^,  a  fountain  of  life 
for  nit^n.  Being  one  with  the  Father  in  power  He  has  at  His  control 
all  the  divine  resources  for  the  estr.blishment  of  His  Kingdom  (John  10: 
28-30).  He  is  also  the  object  of  the  Father's  love,  and  their  fellowship 
on  earth  is  but  a  continuation  of  an  eternal  loving  intimacy  (John  5 : 
30;  17:5,  24).  He  is  the  King  of  Truth  whose  eternal  reali.i  is  above 
(John  18:36-38).  The  meaning  of  all  this  is  that  Jesus  has  come  from 
another  world,  the  home  where  He  has  always  lived  with  His  Father  in 
closest  love,  in  order  to  make  known  here  on  eart.'  His  Father's  nature, 
and  His  will  for  us,  His  children. 


Tmi  Tiuth  or  Tm  Aimtouc  GMm. 


Study  14;    The  Jesus  of  the  GosjhjIs — His  Claim 


Seventh  Day  :    No  Man  Cometh  Unto  the  Fathei  but  by 
Me 


1.  The  wiliuii  to  the  divine  lonihip  of  Jeiui  Chriit  ii  eompleted  in 
the  foipeli  by  their  nimiivei  of  the  resurrection.  It  ii  not  our  purpoie 
to  diKuii  in  this  place  their  historical  worth.  Even  at  His  earliest  fore- 
telling of  Hit  coming  death  rays  of  glory  flash  forth  around  the  disc  of 
His  eclipse,  for  He  always  prophesied  His  resurrection  (Mark  8:31; 
9:3' ;  10:34),  and  in  the  fourth  gospel  the  death  '.1  regarded  as  a  step 
towards  heavenly  dignity  (John  17:1).  But  it  was  not  till  the  shadow 
of  '.he  world  with  it»  agony  and  death  moved  by  that  the  full  glory  of 
Jelul  as  the  Son  of  God  was  revealed  to  His  followers  by  His  appear- 
tncea  in  His  risen  body.  He  was  emancipated  from  the  narrow  earthly 
house  to  enter  upon  a  wider  life,  and  to  go  shepherding  erring 
Gentiles  in  order  that  they  might  come  with  the  Jews  to  form  one 
flock  (John  10:16-18). 

2.  Thui  the  Jesus  of  the  gospels  makes  the  unhesitating  claim  that 
He  and  He  alone  can  reveal  God  to  the  world.  His  human  life  is  as  it 
were  the  mi'ror  in  which  we  can  read  the  full  glory,  truth  and  'eauty  of 
God,  who  is  a  Spirit  (John  i :  14-18).  As  the  Son  He  is  the  living  portrait 
of  the  Father,  His  life  making  the  Divine  Spirit  concrnc  for  men  Fohn 
14:6-11).  He  is  Son  of  God  because  also  the  Son  of  Man.  O  !^  the 
Mead  of  the  kingdom  of  men  could  reveal  God  to  His  britth  en.  Only  in 
the  perfect  human  nature  could  we  have  any  adequate  reflection  of  the 
divine.  How  is  it  possible  for  me  to  get  a  higher  conception  of  God 
than  from  the  .Son  of  Man,  whose  nature  is  so  fully  the  creation  of 
(Luke  1:35),  and  possessed  by.  the  Holy  Spirit  (Luke  jtM)  that  He 
is  at  the  same  time  the  Son  of  God?  Jesus  asserts  that  He  is  different 
from  other  men,  because  He  has  an  endowment  of  God's  Spirit,  and  a 
perfection  of  manhood  which  puts  Him  at  the  head  of  the  race.  During 
His  life  Jesus  di-tmed,  according  to  the  gospels,  that  He  could  lead 
men  to  the  Father,  and  without  doubt  the  Jesus  of  the  gospels  has 
done  this  for  bc'ievcrs  ever  since.  Do  I  wish  to  know  what  God  is? 
I  look  to  Jesus  Christ.  His  life  on  earth,  as  it  stands  in  the  gospels, 
is  a  well  from  which  the  life  of  God  Himself  flows  into  my  soul.  In 
Christ  I  discover  the  mind  of  God,  His  love  towards  me.  His  purpose 
for  me  and  His  power  to  effect  that  purpose. 


!03 


Thx  Truth  or  thi  Afostouc  Gospu. 
Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


;  ^ 


First  Day:    The  Resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ;  the 
Pauline  Conception  of  the  Living  Christ 


1.  The  churches  which  received  the  letters  of  the  New  Testament 
were  evangelized  by  missionaries  who  preached  substantially  the  Jesus 
C*-  .St  of  our  gospels.  From  this  conception  there  sprang  up  on  every 
s.  even  in  the  hearts  of  pagans  who  had  never  seen  Jesus,  an  enthu- 
sias...:  devotion  to  His  person  (A-ts  16:31;  17:2,  3.  fi.  7;  i  Peter  1:8). 
Novr  what  is  involved  in  this  univerial  devotion  of  the  apostolic  church 
to  Jesus  Christ?    What  are  the  essential  elements  in  the  conception? 

2.  (l)  That  Jesus  Christ  is  a  living  Person.  He  is  not  merely  an 
entrancing  memory,  nor  does  He  fill  up  their  background  as  a  beautiful 

,  ideal  of  the  past.  He  is  one  whose  power  is  felt  in  the  midst  of  their 
present  world,  and  with  whom  they  hold  intercourse.  The  apostolic 
church  is  based  on  the  belief  that  Jesus  was  risen  from  the  dead.  The 
resurrection  meant  for  them  a  renewal  of  the  life  which  they  had  en- 
joyed with  Jesus  on  earth  before  His  death.  He  was  absent  from  them 
in  body,  but  His  Spirit  was  in  their  midst.  With  glad  assurance  the 
disciples  proclaim  that  their  Master  has  triumphed  over  death  and  is 
now  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God  (Acts  2 :  24 ;  3 ;  15 ;  4 :  10 ;  5 :  31 ;  17 : 
18).    Jesus  is  thus  the  Prince  of  Life. 

3.  Paul's  faith  in  the  living  Christ  is  obvious.  He  seems  to  lose  his 
own  self  in  that  of  Christ  (Gal.  2:20).  Paul  does  not  move  in  the  realm 
of  ideas  but  within  the  influence  of  a  living  Person.  Language  fails  him 
v/heii  he  tries  to  express  the  intimacy  of  his  fellowship  with  his  Lord, 
his  favorite  term,  "in  Christ,"  denoting  that  every  faculty  is  absorbed  in 
the  life  of  which  Christ  is  the  aim  and  controlling  power  (Rom.  8:1; 
I  Cor.  1:2).  The  old  man  perishes  ,ind  the  believer  becomes  a  limb  of 
the  living  Christ  (Rom.  6:11;  Col.  3:3).  "To  the  Christ  within  Paul 
attributed  all  that  he  did  and  experienced  as  a  Christian  man.  ...  It  was 
as  if  the  very  personality  of  Christ  had  entered  into  the  apostle  and  used 
him  as  the  organ  of  its  expression"  (Somerville).  At  a  well  remem- 
bered moment  in  his  career  Christ  a  living  Person  entered  into  his  life 
and  ever  since  he  has  had  no  mind  or  will  of  his  own.  In  preaching  his 
gospel  he  himself  puts  forward  no  claim  on  his  own  behalf.  Christ 
leads  him  like  a  slave,  while  his  message,  bringing  to  all  the  knowledge 
of  the  grace  of  God  is  a  fragrance  of  Christ  Himself,  life-giving  to  those 
who  will  accept  it  (2  Cor.  2: 14,  15).  (See  Findlay's  article,  "St.  Paul,' 
ii.,  3;  c.  in  Hastings'  Dictionary  of  Bible,  Vol.  III.) 


The  Truth  of  the  Akistolic  Gospel 

Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


Second  Day:     Apostolic  Belief  in  Christ  as  a  Living 

Person 

I.  All  the  other  epistles  agree  in  regarcing  Jesus  Christ  as  a  living 
Person.  According  to  Hebrews  He  is  the  High  Priest,  who  make" 
continual  intercession  for  His  brethren  in  the  heavenly  temple  where 
He  stands  in  the  sight  of  God  This  He  does  by  reason  of  H^s  endless 
h.  i^  Ju^'  'i'  T^'-'.'*^--  ?'  ■"  ".°"  ""wned  with  glory  and  honor, 
?if-.I"'u'  P'*  brethren  to  inherit  the  world  to  come  (Heb.  2:8,  o) 
1  hither  He  has  taken  with  Him  His  human  nature  enriched  by  the  life 
on  earth,  in  which  He  sympathized  with  the  sins  and  sufferings  of  men 
(Heb.  a:  17,  18).  No  epistle  surpasses  that  of  Hebrews  in  its  perfect 
blending  of  the  earthly  expe.-ience  of  Jesus  with  His  present  glory  in 
active  service  to  His  brethren  who  are  in  this  world  (Heb.  10  ■  20) 
Having  suffered  through  His  earthly  experience  He  learned  obedience 
and  overcame  His  temptation  (Heb.  4.14-16),  and  is  now  the  personal 
Imng  pledge  that  God  will  be  true  to  the  new  covenant  and  forgive  sins 
(Heb.  7:22;  12:23)  Once  on  earth,  now  alive  at  the  right  hand  of  God 
He  guarantees  to  His  brethren  the  reality  of  the  unseen  world  (Heb. 

2.  In  I  Peter  2:4,  5,  Jesus  Christ  is  referred  to  as  the  living  corner- 
stone to  whom  believers  come  to  form  with  Him  a  new  temple  of  hu- 
manity, in  w-hich  a  true  service  will  be  offered  to  God  by  a  universal 
priesthood  of  believers.  He  also  engages  the  affection  of  those  who  had 
once  been  heathen  and  who  had  never  seen  Him  ( i  Peter  i  ■  8)  Yet  in 
this  epistle  also  the  human  life  of  Jesus  on  earth  is  made  the  example 
lor  the  Christians  who  have  to  endure  sufferings  in  His  name  (2-21  ■ 
4:13.  14),  so  that  the  object  of  their  love  is  a  living  Person  with  a  very 
real  human  experience  on  earth,  which  gives  body  and  meaning  to  His 

f^^k'^j  ♦  r"/!^'""/"^'',  ^7"t  '"  ■'■•'"'^''  ">=  Christian  is  exhorted 
to  hold  to  the  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  Glory  .  c 
Une  who  by  His  resurrection  is  now  enthroned  in  glory  (James  2:1).    ' 

3.  The  great  error  which  the  author  of  First  John  wishes  to  refute  is 
the  teaching  of  the  Gnostics,  that  Jesus  received  the  Holy  Spirit  at  His 
baptisni  and  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Christ  left  Him  before  His  passion 
With  the  utmost  earnestness  he  repudiates  the  doctrine  that  Jesus  Christ 
the  now  living  Person  did  not  live  and  suffer  in  a  true  human  life  on 
earth  (,  John  2:22;  4:2,  3  :  5  :6).  Finally,  at  the  opening  of  the  epistles 
to  the  .seven  churches  there  stands  the  figure  of  Him  who  guards  the  life 
of  the  brotherhood  one  mvested  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  perfect  human 
life  exalted  through  death  to  a  throne  of  eternal  power  (Rev  i  ■  i;  18) 


The  Truth  or  tbi  Apostolic  Gosrai. 
Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


Third  Day  :    Jesus  Lives  in  the  Hearts  of  His  Followers 
Through  the  Holy  Spirit 

I  That  early  Church  did  not  think  of  Jesus  as  a  prophet  who  was 
dead  such  as  Hijah  or  John  the  Baptist.  In  some  sense  it  might  be  said 
that  they  lived  on  in  the  lives  of  their  followers..  But  this  was  not  the 
sense  in  which  the  Christians  interpreted  the  living  Christ.  Jesus  was 
not  ranked  even  with  the  greatest  of  the  prophets.  All  they  «"'  dead^ 
The"  was  no  longer  any  new  th-ight,  or  quickening.personal  power 
from  them.  That  indefinable  influence  and  essence  which  we  cal  p.er- 
sonllity  is  limited  in  human  beings  by  death.  Take  away  the  living 
nrSnce  Lid  the  silent  pitiless  years  soon  do  their  work.  .Unless  we 
?efresh  our  affection  with  the  kindling  eye,  and  hear  the  ringing  echo  of 
one  word  more,  and  have  the  soliloquy  of  our  meditation  on  our  friend  s 
g"d*e«  invaded  by  a  throbbing  ray  of  love  from  the  I'vng  heart  soon 
his  portrait  in  our  memory  loses  its  color  that,  gallery  so  M'-  »!»».  ° 
ghostly  forms,  whose  sight  touches  the  fountain  of  tears  as  they  call 
Sp  "the  old,  unhappy,  far-off  things  and  days  of  long  ago. 

2  But  it  was  not  so  with  Christ.  He  was  alive  (Acts  16:7)  •J"" 
as  i  become  a  reproduction  of  the  character  of  my  stronger  and  nobler 
friend  wh"  lives  by  my  side,  those  believers  felt  that  their  hearts  were 
Kic  to  the  living  Spirit  of  Christ,  whiih  was  shaping  their  souls  into 
H?rfkenMS  (Acts  so;  7:55,  59)-  In  the  classic  exposition  of  the  na- 
"re  if  th?Spi>"of'chri«TJohn  ,6:8-3)  we  are  told  of  a  Iwing  per^ 
smal  Spirit  reproducing  the  life  of  Christ  m  His  followers,  standing 
by  theirS  tXlp  them  in  time  of  trouble,  pPPle™""""*  H;^"»!S'"« 
Sth  truth  which  al  the  time  when  Jesus  spoke  *" '^J'™'' *i'J.8"»S: 
Tn  fact,  a  living  fountain  in  which  the  mind  of  their  Lord,  was  made 
known  to  them  This  Spirit  was  to  bridge  the  chasm  which  m  a"  o*" 
HvM  divides  the  earth  from  the  unseen  world,  and  enabled  them,  to 
recognize  in  the  exalted  Christ  Him  whom  they  had  known  in  Galilee 
as  the  Son  of  Man  (John  20:21-23)- 

1  In  Paul's  epistles  also  the  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  Christ  (2  Cor  3J 
17)  and  by  the  personal  influence  of  this  Spirit  the  believer  is  trans- 
aeSinto  the?mage  of  Christ  (2  Cor.  3:. 8).  But  this  .sal|o  the 
Spirit  of  God  (Rom.  8:9-11,  I4-I7;i  Cor-  3:  i6)-  1"°'%^^  ".!^ 
?mrit  is  associated  with  Father  and  Son  (2  Cor.  13:14;  tph.  4-4-0. 
,  Cor  ?2M-6)  Ag™in  the  Spirit  seems  to  have  a  function  of  its  own 
fRom  R-o  26-  I  Cor  12:11:  Gal.  4:6).  So  it  would  appear  that  just 
is  Je"us  re'ie^ed  the  FaJher  When  on  ea«h.  by  means  «' the  Snint  which 
was  the  es"  nee  of  His  person,  so  the  same  Spirit  of  Chnst  is  a  present 
personal  power  revealing  God  to  the  believer. 


to6 


The  Truth  or  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


Fourth  Day:    Jesus  Christ  the  Eternal  Son  of  God 

„■•  A'l.  J""S  Christ  was  tor  the  Apostolic  Church  the  Son  of  God. 
£!°r,"  '.V's  '°  ■«  t^ksn  '"  a  general  sense  of  being  especially  devoted  to 
Ood  s  will,  nor  as  similar  to  God  in  character.  All  the  resources  of  lan- 
guage are  exhausted  to  express  a  thought  which  perhaps  transcends 
dehnition.  They  believed  that  Jesus  came  from  a  home  where  He  had 
lived  an  eternal  existence  with  His  Father   (Phil.  2:6;  2  Cor.  So- 

fSL'JW-  ^ffli  '  ■^''  ?''■■  '  ':'■  '3;8;  ■  John  4:9).  He  was  also  the 
agent  of  His  Father  in  the  creation  of  the  world  (Col.  1:16;  Heb.  i  •2- 
John  1:3.  4).  We  must  not  forget  that  the  world  of  which  they  thought 
was  the  world  of  men,  a  series  of  ages  in  which  humanity  was  woven 
into  on-  _nterrelated  whole.  The  solidarity  of  the  race  constituted  the 
world.  '  he  external  world  of  matter  only  had  importance  in  so  far  as 
It  was  the  sphere  in  which  men  lived.  The  Christians  believed  that  God 
was  guiding  all  things  towai  ds  a  glorious  consummation  of  His  King- 
dom. Jesus  Christ  is  His  Vicegerent  in  the  conduct  of  the  Kingdom  to 
Its  issue.  Therefore  He  must  have  presided  over  it  and  been  master  of 
the  world  from  the  very  beginning,  for  Jesus  Christ  has  been  the  same 
Eternal  Person  from  the  commencement  of  time  (John  1:4,  9). 

2.  He  also  was  in  the  history  of  Israel  directing  it  by  His  Spirit 
(John  i:ii;  Heb.  3:6;  10:15;  i  Peter  lui;  Acts  7:51,  52),  A  pre- 
existent  Person,  He  is  the  full  Revealer  of  the  nature  of  God  The  Son 
reveals  the  Father,  He  is  the  image  of  God  otherwise  invisible  to  us 
(Col.  1:15;  2  Cor.  4:4-6),  so  that  as  we  look  upon  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ  we  behold  there  the  glory  of  the  true  God  who  is  Light.  The 
great  passage,  Phil.  2:6-11,  brings  out  the  same  truth.  Jesus  indeed 
laid  aside  the  exercise  of  His  external  divine  prerogatives  which  He 
shared  with  His  Father  in  the  heavenly  world,  but  His  essential  charac- 
ter was  and  remained  even  on  earth  the  same  as  that  of  (3od  In  Heb. 
1:3  a  similar  conception  is  expressed  under  the  figure  of  j  ray  of 
hght.  The  light  of  the  Father's  nature  becomes  as  it  were  a  nucleus  of 
light  in  Jesus  Christ,  whose  personality  wears  the  stamp  of  essential 
deity.    The  same  thought  is  involved  in  i  John  I :  I ;  4 :  12 ;  5 :  12. 

3.  Such  passages  show  that  the  ling  epistles  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment attribute  to  Jesus  Christ  co;  lions  which  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment were  the  prerogatives  of  Jehovah  alone.  According  to  the  Old 
Testament  God  created  the  world  and  guides  its  history,  and  He  sent 
His  Word  and  Spirit  to  the  prophets.  These  powers  are  all  ascribed 
in  the  New  Testament  to  Jesus  Christ.  In  Him  the  fullness  of  the 
Godhead  resides  bodily  (Col.  2:9).  They  worship  Jesus  and  pray 
to  Him  (t  Cor,  1:2),  they  come  to  the  Father  through  Him.  The 
depths  of  the  Father  3  grace  and  love  are  opened  to  the  light  in  Jesus 
(2  Cor.  4:61  John  1:14,  16,  18).  Only  through  Him  has  the  Father 
held  contact  with  the  universe  of  men  in  the  past,  only  through  Him  is 
He  now  in  the  world  reconciling  it  to  Himself  (2  Cor.  5:19),  and  so 
through  Him  alone  shall  we  forever  approach  the  Father  (Heb  7- 
24-26). 

107 


Thi  Tkuth  of  ihi  Apostouc  Gospil 


Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


Fifth  Day  :    Tesus  Christ  the  Redeemer  from  S:n  :  Paul 
AND  Hebrews 


1  (3)  Jesus  Christ  is  also  the  Redeemer  from  sin.  In  the  earlier 
days  the  attempt  was  made  to  fit  His  death  into  the  teachmg  of  the  Old 
Testament  (Acts  3:18,  19),  and  Paul  tells  us  that  it  was  one  of  the 
Jrima^y  dements  of  the  gospel  (i  Cor.  15:3)  that  the  death  of  Christ 
had  procured  forgiveness  of  sins.  The  death  of  Christ  was  the  theme 
of  hii  preaching  to  the  Corinthians  and  Galatians  (i  Cor.  I  ■.23;  ual.  3. 
")  instead  of  being  a  source  of  shame  (Gal.  3:13)  the  death  of  Jesus 
Christ  on  the  cross  is  to  the  Christian  the  power  of  God  (l  Cor.  l: 
18).    It  furnishes  a  motive  of  supreme  efBcacy. 

2  It  is  a  sign  of  God  the  Father's  transcendent  love  (Rom.  8:32; 
2  Cor.  s :  20) ,  and  also  of  that  of  Christ  the  Son  (2  Cor.  5  :  14,  IS ;  Gal.  2 : 
20)  It  is  also  the  means  of  reconciling  the  love  and  justice  of  God  so 
that  He  may  beirue  to  His  own  nature  in  forgiving  sins  (Kom.  3-2a). 
for  through  His  loving  self-sacrifice  Christ  has  removed  the  curse  of  the 
law  (Gal.  3: 13).  If  it  were  not  for  Jesus  Christ's  death  the  whole  world 
would  be  burdened  with  a  load  of  sin  from  which  there  would  be  no 
escape  (Gal.  3:22).  But  all  this  is  taken  away  (Co .  2:13,  14).  this 
divine  reconciliation  (2  Cor.  5:18-21)  is  of  such  universal  sign^cance 
that  it  was  from  the  beginning  an  integral  part  of  the  Father  s  purpose 
of  love  toward  the  world  (Eph.  1:6,  7).  Pali's  writings  are  saturated 
with  the  thought  of  the  redemptive  efficacy  of  Christ  s  death. 

■<  The  theme  is  hardly  less  prominent  in  the  F.p.stle  to  the  Hebrews. 
The  eternal  Son  of  God  is  i.ow  seated  in  majesty  after  having  made  a 
sufficient  offering  to  remove  sin  and  give  man  access  to  God  as  a  true 
worshiper  (Heb  1:4).  He  is  the  great  High. Priest  'yh"  having  made 
the  sacrifice  with  His  own  blood  is  now"shering  His  brethren  into  the 
holy  of  holies.  It  is  because  He  once  for  m1  offered  Himself  that  no 
mofe  sacrifices  for  sin  are  necessary  (Heb.  9:26.  ^^■.."'■,'°i,",  '  ,^t" 
offering  gets  its  value  because  it  was  made  in  a  spirit  of  absolute  obe- 
dience  to  His  Father's  will.  Thus  Jesus  Christ  sacrificed  Himself  an 
eternal  Spirit  without  blemish,  and  thereby  men  can  have  their  guilt  re- 
n.oved  and  come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace  (Heb.  9:14;  10:9,  i". 
19-22). 


Thi  Truth  or  t;ie  Apostouc  Gospel 
Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


Sixth  Uav:    The  Gospel  of  the  Cross 

IS  a  part  of  the  eternal  purpose  of  God  (Rev  nS) 
tul?  .l''""^'"""  '°  "1'"  possessed  by  the  spirit  of  antichrist  who  denv 
that  there  is  sin,  and  consequently  deny  slso  that  ChrU,  ,..a„„j  t^ 
Jesus  died,  the  atoning  death  of  Je^sus  i7se  ?onh  „  Fi  John  as  eSn" 
UJ^bnlT^-X^nol'  ^""^  '-■'-'^'  '"'  "  '"■=  °"'y  -me"drfor"sin 
2.  Christianity  is  the  religion  of  the  cross.  It  is  the  reliuion  of  sarri 
fice  embodied  m  the  service  of  the  Son  of  Man,  who  throulh  hI  death 
rhr,«  ^iS?*"^  ?'  '"■-.'fi^,"-  /i'hose  early  believers  reRardfd  th^  life  of 
^^C^'aTt  l'''"'■''i^  "■f,,!""''  ''  ^"  ="'"">«  incredible  proof  of  the  love 
?(.  H^  V"^"  ■'■'^'-  W'J'  5''°"'''  such  an  One  as  Jesus  Christ  have 
left  His  how.  to  come  down  and  engage  in  the  awful  wrestle  whsi^ 
and  deliver  sinf.-l  men  from  their  bondage  to  fear  of  deXthe""rse  of 
sin?    (Heb.  2:14,  15.)     The  death  of  Christ  was  not  a  sacrifice  to  ci? 

ex^i^n" Jh  Ju^"  """"  "".f- '!"""'"  J""'  >™s  felt  by  them  to^  the  more" 
exalted  the  throne  to  which  the  Christ  had  risen,  the  more  acute  h^ 
cauK  to  them  the  question.  Why  did  He  die?    It  was  nSfor  h"s  own 

22)  rZ°:i^J!»V^Pr'  "'I'  '°L'^'  ''"'  of  ">e  whole  wirid"  John 
2.2).  That  the  Holy  Christ  should  die  was  to  be  explained  oplv  arthi 
supremcst  act  of  vicarious  love.  His  personal  disciples  nevcrforgoJ  he 
agony  of  His  spotless  soul  as  they  saw  it  on  the  crofs  or  in  Gethsfmane 
ZZa.'^^'r  "'  ™  '^i'^T'^  during  His  Galilean  Ministry  to  the  con-' 
and  Sn^  ,  ""i""'>  7^'  '''='"'  °'  ^""^  '"^"'  "lat  the  love  of  Father 
i,„  ,^th  ■'"'"'^  ""'!''  ■?'"  ;?;".  '°  *"«""<=  'h^t  'hey  would  not  leave 
men  to  their  own  ruin,  but  Christ  Himselt  took  upon  Him  the  awful 
task  of  rendering  null  and  void  the  claims  of  sin  upoS  man  (Hcb  9:^)' 
3.  Further,  His  death  stood  forth  as  the  preat  fact  in  history  which 
proves  forever  that  God  is  a  righteous  God,  01  whose  nature  sin  "he 

d  fferen^fo  i?"  ^'^^'"k^iS''  '"''>■  When  He  pardons  sin  He  not  in! 
different  to  it.  Only  by  the  utmost  sacrifice  He  could  make  is  it  possi- 
ble for  Him  to  remain  true  to  His  own  nature  and  yet  show  favor  to 
wSn"!,""'";  /*"  ^"A°'  ^'■7^'  '^  "'e  proof  that  God  if  a  Ho'y  God 
who  cannot  disregard  the  moral  order  of  His  universe.  He  cannot  com 
S.il/K"""'"'"«  smner,  one  who  loves  his  sin,  to  accept  pardon,  for  th^t 
wS  th/ZS°"''  ^Tt'"  Siyi"«  Christ  to  die  He  has  furnished  sinners 
Sent  Hdy  Fa?r"         ""      '"         ='ccepting  the  pardon  of  a  self-con- 


TBI  TauTH  or  the  Apostduc  Gosfil 


Study  15:    The  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Apostles 


I 


Seventh  Day  :    Jesus  Christ  the  Judge  of  The  World  and 
consummator  of  the  kingdom  of  god 

I.  Jesus  Christ  was  believed  to  be  the  Judge  of  all.  This  was  a  part 
of  the  earliest  gospel  (Mark  8:38),  and  the  return  of  Jesus  was 
preached  by  Peter  during  the  opening  days  of  the  Church's  life  (Acts 
3:20,  21).  In  Acts  10:42  He  is  proclaimed  as  the  Judge  of  <juick  and 
dead.  This  idea  is  expressed  in  the  earliest  letter  of  Paul  (l  Thess.  4: 
lb,  17)  in  language  similar  to  that  of  the  gospels,  and  in  2  Cor.  5:10 
there  might  almost  be  a  reminiscence  of  Matt.  25:31-46.  The  final  suge 
of  the  rule  of  Christ  when  He  shall  have  completed  the  work  given  Him 
by  His  Father  to  do  is  described  in  I  Cor.  15 :2S,  28.  Then  shall  the  har- 
vest of  the  kingdom  of  which  the  risen  Christ  is  the  first-fruits  be 
gathered  in  (l  Cor.  15:23). 

3.  This  ''ought  of  the  return  of  Jesus  to  consummate  His  work 
runs  throug.i  the  other  epistles  (Heb.  9:27,  28;  10:37).  It  is  contem- 
plated in  First  Peter  with  joy  (l  Peter  I  :I3),  though  it  will  also  bring 
judgment  to  many  (4:5,  7,  17).  Jude  re^rds  it  as  a  disclosure  of  di- 
vine mercy  (21), and  Second  Peter  as  the  signal  for  the  dissolution  of  the 
present  system,  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  day  of  the  Lord  (2  Peter 
3:10-13);  and  John  as  the  manifestation  of  glory  to  which  the  children 
of  God  shall  be  conformed  (l  John  3:2).  The  Book  of  Revelation  is 
a  paean  in  honor  of  the  slain  Lamb,  who  is  victorious  over  all  His  ene- 
mies, who  alone  can  open  the  book  of  the  future  (5:1-14),  and  ushers 
the  Church  of  the  Redeemed  into  the  new  Jerusalem. 

3.  What  a  stupendous  Person  Jesus  Christ  was  in  the  mind  of  the 
early  Christians.  He  dominated  not  only  their  own  life,  but  all  exist- 
ence. This  present  was  to  them  only  a  perishing  world,  at  its  best  of 
small  value.  It  shrank  into  insignificance  before  the  glory  ^f  Christ  and 
the  realm  of  the  new  Zion  into  which  He  was  about  to  lead  them.  But 
just  because  Christ  has  snatched  the  believer  from  the  drift  of  the  pres- 
ent evil  age  (Gal.  1:4),  He  has  appointed  him  work  to  do  in  the  short 
time  that  siill  remains.  Something  is  left  undone  by  Christ  for  His 
fellow-worker  to  complete,  even  to  sharing  in  His  suflFerings,  so  that  he 
may  contribute  to  the  establishing  on  earth  of  the  eternal  Kingdom  of 
God  (l  Cor.  3:10-15;  Col.  1:24). 


Thi  Truth  or  thi  Arostouc  Gosm. 


Study  1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


First  Day:    The  Pauline  Type 


v'xt  T-  °"  °'  9"/'^'  ^PPMlfd  ™  difftrent  ways  to  the  writers  of 
tile  Wew  lestament.  Men  of  most  divcise  temperaments  acknowledged 
His  mastery,  havmg  found  in  His  many-sided  character  that  aspect  of 
perfection  which  completed  their  several  natural  endowments  "The 
mind  of  Christ  had  a  broad  sympathy  which  fitted  into  each  life  and 
equipped  it  for  its  peculiar  accomplishment  So  we  have  a  variety  of 
types  in  the  New  Testament.  We  must  not  fall  into  the  mistake  of  read- 
ing all  the  books  in  the  light  of  the  Pauline  epistles.  Each  writer  saw 
Jesus  Christ  from  his  own  angle  of  vision,  and  wrote  out  of  the  pro- 
found conviction  that  what  he  saw  of  Him  would  quicken  and  fortify 
others.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  strong  religious  experience  ac- 
coi  nts  for  the  New  Testament 

2.  But  unquestionably  the  Pauline  conception  of  the  gospel  has  had 
immense  influence  on  Western  Christianity.  Paul  seems  to  have  left  a 
larger  impression  on  early  Christendom  than  any  other  individual,  and 
he  claims  to  have  received  his  gospel  direct  from  Christ  without  human 
mediation  of  any  kind  (Gal.  l:i,  ii,  i2,  i6).  One  reason  of  his  great 
power  is  to  be  found  in  his  training.  While  perhaps  surpassed  in  cul- 
ture by  the  author  of  Hebrews,  he  was  superior  to  all  in  his  liberality 
of  spirit  and  breadth  of  view.  No  student  can  afford  to  neglect  to  pon- 
der carefully  the  gospel  of  one  of  the  most  brilliant  students  of  his  day 
He  had  an  absorbing  interest  in  winning  the  empire  of  which  he  was 
a  citizen  to  loyalty  to  Christ.  And  he  understood  the  Jewish  system  as 
few  others  did  (Gal.  i :  14 ;  Phil,  j :  3-6) . 

3.  But  his  own  genius  and  temper  were  a  superb  instrument  for  the 
use  made  of  them  by  the  Spirit  of  the  risen  Christ.  He  was  essen- 
tially a  seeker  for  righteousness  (Phil.  3:6,  9).  And  his  will  was  under 
the  control  of  an  intellect  peculiarly  sincere,  rigorous  and  penetrating. 
VVhile  he  was  a  Pharisee  he  lived  a  most  consistent  life  as  the  product 
of  that  system,  but  he  never  upbraids  himself  with  the  sins  of  h«  class, 
their  self-seeking  and  their  hypocrisy.  He  was  a  strong,  masterful  man 
who  had  no  useless  ideas  in  his  mind,  but  wrought  his  convictions  into 
!■«•  Since  the  law  was  a  divine  system  there  must  be  no  trifling  with  it. 
The  will  of  God  is  final.  So  Saul  the  Pharisee  was  a  persecutor  of  no 
ordinary  violence  (Gal.  1:13). 


Tut  TlUTH  OF  THE  ArOSTOLIC  GoSPEL 


Study  1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


Second  Dav:    The  Pacline  Conception  of  Chrigt 


1.  Saul  discovered  in  the  Cliristian  communities  revolution  at  work 
like  a  heady  wine,  and  it  wai  bursting  the  old  bottles.  So  he  who  can 
do  nothing  by  halves  grows  ruthless  and  continues  so  till  the  moment 
when  the  Son  of  God  appears  to  him.  Tlien  he  is  shattered,  and  he  re- 
quires some  years  of  retirement  to  adjust  himself  to  his  new  conditions. 
But  in  converting  a  man  God  does  not  remake  his  inborn  disposition 
and  type  of  thought  and  activity.  He  simply  turns  the  old  nature  with 
its  capacities  towards  new  ideals.  So  Pcul  is  like  Saul  in  continuing  to 
live  for  righteousness,  and  in  putting  into  practice  what  he  knows  to  be 
the  will  of  God. 

2.  Christ  now  take«  the  place  of  the  law.  He  is  Himself  the  will  of 
God  summing  up  al'  e  divin.;  nature  (Rom.  10:4).  Love  to  a  person 
takes  the  place  of  Cucdience  to  the  letter  of  a  precept,  and  this  shows 
itself  in  a  life  of  love  to  others  (Rom.  13;  10;  Gal.  5:14).  Christ  is  the 
personal  source  of  righteousness,  becoming  a  fountain  of  divine  ^ace 
to  the  persecutor  who  lives  as  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  His  re- 
ligion and  theology  lie  in  germ  in  this  miracle  of  love.  What  an  ir- 
reparable blunder  was  made  by  the  representatives  of  the  law  when 
they  put  to  death  the  Messiah  of  Israel.  The  vision  of  the  risen  Christ 
utterly  discredited  that  whole  system  of  righteousness,  and  now  the 
great  alternative  is  presented,  either  the  law  or  grace  (Gal.  2:21).  Two 
facts,  the  cross  and  the  resurrection,  contain  the  sum  of  his  gospel,  for 
thereby  a  new  order  of  grace  has  been  established.  Preaching  out  of  his 
own  experience  he  finds  his  theme  in  the  risen  Christ  who  has  trans- 
muted the  curse  of  the  cross  into  an  instrument  of  glory.  Wi^h  Him  he 
also  is  dead  to  the  old  and  alive  to  the  new  (Gal.  6: 14,  15). 

3.  The  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  did  not  fail  to  expand  his  gospel  as 
experience  presented  new  problems  to  be  solved  by  the  trained  intellect 
of  the  thinker,  the  religious  ideals  of  the  seer,  or  the  dauntless  hope  of 
the  statesman-missionary.  Christ  still  is  the  sum  of  all  things.  As 
Paul's  view  of  the  world  and  the  Church  widens  so  does  his  conception 
of  Christ  become  exalted.  He  is  seen  to  be  the  Crown  of  t^e  universe, 
the  Head  of  the  Church,  the  full  expression  of  the  divine  nature  (Eph. 
1:10;  Col.  1 :  18,  19).  The  network  of  congregations  throughout  the 
Roman  Empire  is  the  visible  expression  of  the  body  of  the  Lord.  By 
faith  in  and  love  to  Him  each  believer  is  united  to  Jesus  Christ  the 
Head,  and  thus  becomes  a  part  of  the  body,  living  a  new  life  of  right- 
eousness through  His  Spirit. 


Thi  Truth  or  ihi  Apostolic  Gospti. 
Study  1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


Third  Dav  :     The  Eimstle  to  the  Hebrews 

eomn«s     Hebrews  trca  s  It  a,  rit.,^1  ^rH*-       '""  ??  >  V,"™  of  right- 
whose  rehgton  find,  it,  full«t  expression  in  Worship      ''"°"°">'  ^P'"' 

from  the  realities  of  the  world  of  nihtlrnr:."  "/"  ""f'"'  "« 
moon  and  cloud"  (Heb  .TqT  .0°, ;  fj''i/''j?'"i)  '"2;^f  ,?"''''<'  »".•• 

their  l,ap,i,n,  they  had  received  gifts  o?he  Ho  ;^SDiiVrl"f  '^''  m'" 
what  IS  invo  vcd  in  these  fact*  *  Pirll  Ti;,,  i  '     ^  i   V''*'  5)-    Now 

come  (2  "4^6 -I. 'If.'  """"■  ""■"="■'  °f  P""-"^  °f  'he  world  to 


Tbi  T>uth  or  THi  ArotTouc  GoiriL 


Study  1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


FouHTH  Day  :    First  Peter  and  James 


4  I 


1.  The  Firit  Epistle  of  Peter  has  affinities  with  the  Pauline  concep- 
tions and  those  oi  Hebrews,  though  the  author  does  not  move  in  the 
lofty  regions  of  spiritual  thought  which  those  writers  and  the  author 
of  the  fourth  gospel  enjoy  to  traverse.  Peter  may  be  called  the  prophet 
of  the  new  Israel,  a  man  with  a  frank  nature,  open  to  every  generous 
impulse,  and  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  His  epistle  has  reminiscences 
of  the  human  life  of  Christ,  a  memory  of  surpassing  loveliness,  whose 
moral  beauty  has  traced  on  every  one  who  saw  Him  an  ineffaceable  im- 
pression of  holiness  (i  Peter  1:13-19;  3:31-25).  Peter  thinks  of  jeaus 
Christ  primarily  as  the  exalted  Messiah,  whose  resurrection  has  made 
divine  salvation  and  grace  effective,  and  the  Christian's  hope  secure  (i: 
3-9).  Jesus  introduces  the  believer  to  God,  in  whose  presence  he  hence- 
forth abides  (3:9,  10,  35).  Peter  speaks  like  an  Old  Testament  prophet 
who  has  drunk  deeply  of  the  teacning  of  Jesus.  God  is  the  faithful 
Creator  but  also  the  Holy  Father  of  the  New  Israel  (1:17;  4:19).  Holi- 
ness is  as  essential  to  the  God  of  Peter  as  to  the  Jehovah  of  Isaiah 
(Isa.  6).  Steeped  in  prophetic  thought  Peter  teaches  that  the  Church  is 
the  new  Israel,  whicn  has  been  delivered  out  of  the  bondage  of  its 
Egypt  by  the  sacrifice  of  its  paschal  Lamb  (i :  18,19).  But  the  exalted 
Messiah  was  also  the  Servant  of  the  Lord  whose  face  was  marred  by 
awful  blows,  albeit  with  healing  for  those  who  follow  Him  (3:21-34)  ; 
and  mat  perfect  endurance  becomes  the  example  for  every  Christian  un- 
der suffering.  Thus  the  human  life  of  Jesus  meant  more  for  Peter  than 
it  did  for  Paul,  or  even  for  the  author  of  Hebrews. 

2,  The  epistle  of  James  is  the  least  distinctly  evangelical  of  all  the 
writings  of  the  New  Testament,  the  gospel  having  come  to  its  author  as 
the  fulfilling  of  the  old  covenant  very  much  in  the  sense  of  Matt.  S :  I7— 
6:18.  He  seems  to  have  passed  from  the  old  life  in  Judaism  to  the  life 
in  the  new  Israel  without  any  violent  rupture.  The  law  of  Christ  i^ 
the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  but  it  demands  serious  moral  effort  for  its 
fulfillment  (1:25;  a: 8,  10,  12,  14).  In  opposition  to  the  old  practical 
Pharisaism  which  deemed  outward  service  to  code  morality  sufficient, 
provided  there  was  assent  to  certain  religious  propositions,  James  like 
his  Master  demands  living  faith  (2:14-26)  which  snows  itself  in  works. 
"Pure  religion,"  i.  e.,  'truest  ritual  service,"  is  not  religious  formalism, 
but  a  service  of  practical  love  (1:27).  This  is  the  faith  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  who  is  risen  to  glory,  and  who  will  soon  return  to  right  all 
wrongs  (2 : 1 ;  S :  7.  8).  This  life  of  true  faith  is  begotten  by  the  will  of 
God  through  the  preaching  of  the  word  of  truth  (l:i8),  and  its  es- 
sence is  heavenly  wisdom  (3:13-18). 


Tm  TiuTH  o»  nu  Arottouc  Goub. 
Study  1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


Fifth  Day:    M;,bk,  Matthew  and  Lum 

abruptly,  and  the  cloM  ii  lo.i  h,,/ .i,T  "'  °'  '^'  ""«■  ''  "P*"* 
J"U,  tJ,;  strong  Son  of  God  move!  \nZ,"  ""  """'^"l  its  purpo... 

=  'r^l  ^.  "Sg&J  iF^-""  -  hH 

by  what  w.  hear  A.,u»  .ay  but  VwJat  w«  ,«  H?™'!"  S.;^""""*  ''°' 

Son  of  Man,  so  human  In  Hi,  tendZe,.  c  "/■"""'  ?"'(?'  •'ominant 
w«r,  in  the  gospel  oTL'r"l,^,h'eri?rjn7co'„"n,'l-„r„-"of^i'thr?'P''' 

Di'per^ion'wl'  l"1i\"M''cl^r:l,UlZl?'%'l''''  »'  "■'  Western 
iected  to  the  taunt,  of  JewT  and  Z  [n.^  of  r^?'  'tT.  ',°  •«  ?"'>• 
discredited  Messiah  So  Matthew  n^«n,.  r  °""'"  'hat  fesu,  is  a 
prophecy.    He  roam,  through  Z  nM  T,  /""'  "J\'.  '""  "essiah  of 

that  of  the  suffering  Servant:  alo  Sfi  l"d\y°S' in"  H^l'lrr"" 

1%  f■T??;vT.t'ir.h°u'sVh^'^•■ '"1' 4-^^^^ 

.rue  Israel,  i?eir,^r.1,Vpromi'e',''of'jehovah""'''  '""  ""  ^"""""^  '"• 

orfgin^'-o'f'j^st'HTs  home"His\™U°h'H?,^  '"".'  '".  "■! '^"'"  "■' 
made  known  Hii  PcrfecnLan'n^a C  disdoseTTu °,ha,  i^-  ^'""j' 
for  rnorial  man  to  conceive  of  God  He  i,  the  Son  ^(  r„V-  '.  E""'""'' 
He  IS  the  Flower  of  humnnitv     "H.,  .  °'  ""°  '""  because 

heaven."  Jesi^iMhe  S^vim  r  „f  ,k  "iJ'°°/V°^""''-  ""•>  "Kn  to 
the  sinner.-^  No  gospel  i,  rfullof  svZ'/h;  "/"JJ  <^"'"<^.  ••«  prodigal, 
the  broken  in  mind  and  b^dy  In  th^TrtJ  ,1'  ""  """"•  l*"  distressed, 
Jesu,  coMinuing  in  Hi,  Snirit  a,  ,L  ,t.n"'T  "?'  ""1^°'  «"  '""h 
disciple,  the  work  wWch  He  had  wL^^  ^l^  '2  do  among  His 
.ends  over  the  civili^cTiio^S  ti^T,  ^■,,?::^- fZ'!:  l'!Sf'°"'  "' 


The  TiUTM  or  the  ArosTouc  GoinL 
Study   1 6:    The  Manifold  Gospel 


Sixth  Dav:    The  Johannine  Conception  of  the  Gospel 

1.  The  /ohanninf  literature  had  iti  home  in  Asia  Minor,  where  new 
pruhtcmi  faced  Christianity.  Men  were  denying  that  Christ  had  come  in 
the  fleih,  claiming  that  He  wai  little  more  than  an  angelic  spirit  who  had 
descended  upon  Jcsui  at  the  baptism  and  had  left  Him  before  the 
crucifixion.  They  ignored  the  necessity  of  redemption  from  sin,  -nd  in- 
terpreted the  resurrection  as  a  purely  spiritual  or  intellectual  expei  ience 
Some  desired  to  live  a  free  life  of  the  Spirit  in  the  enjoyment  ui  their 
own  eca'atic  experiences,  and  did  not  see  any  need  for  gomg  back  to  thc 
historic  Jesus.  Others  again  echoed  the  common  objection  of  Jew  and 
Gentile,  that  Jesus  could  not  have  been  the  Messiah,  or  His  own  peopl*: 
would  have  recognized  Him  (i  John  i:8-io;  4:1-3;  John  16:13-15;  '■ 
a8.  ag:  1:11-13). 

2.  A  gospel  was  needed  for  such  an  environment.  The  gospel  and 
epistles  profess  ti  be  a  record  of  personal  experience  (John  t :  14;  i  John 
1:1).  The  disciple  had  discovered  that  Jesus  was  nothing  less  than  tho 
eternal  Son  of  God  the  Father,  and  from  Him  he  had  got  life  (John 
30:31).  That  earthly  life  unfolded  a  nature  one  with  the  Father  in  lite 
(5:26),  thought  (S:t9).  will  (4:34).  power  (10:38-30),  love  (17:24) 
What  others  sought  concerning  the  origin  and  maintenance  of  the  world 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  Logos  or  divine  reason,  this  writer  found  in  a 
Person.  He  *o]ved  for  him  all  the  riddles  of  life,  for  as  the  \Vord  of 
God  Incarnaie  He  uttered  God's  will  to  the  world,  and  accounted  for  it-t 
source  and  issue  in  God's  eternal  love  (John  i :  t-4,  14,  18;  i  John  1:1). 
In  Jesus  Christ  we  see  the  Father's  nature.  John  thus  starts  with  tho 
historic  Jesus.  All  the  growing  knowledge  that  comes  through  the 
Spirit  of  God  will  simply  be  an  expansion  of  the  divine  mind  that  Hi* 
disciples  found  in  Him  (John  16:13-1^).  He  also  as  the  propitiation 
for  sin  is  proof  to  the  world  of  the  Father's  love  (John  •  29-  .  ■  i'k 
I  John  3:2;  4:10;  5:6). 

3.  The  saving  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  as  Son  of  God  which  brings 
life  is  no  mere  intellectual  assent,  but  is  based  on  love.  Christ  is  a  foun- 
tain of  divine  love,  welling  up  from  the  Father's  own  heart,  and  only 
he  whose  nature  responds  to  this  divine  love  of  which  His  life  on  earth 
was  the  incarnation,  can  really  believe  on  Him  as  the  Son  of  God 
(i  John  4:9,  10.  14.  15,  16;  5:1.  4.  5.  10-12). 

4.  Similar  conceptions  occur  in  the  Apocalypse.  Jesus  Christ  has 
conquered  the  satanic  power  of  the  world,  the  dying  throes  of  which  are 
still  manifest  in  the  awful  struggle  between  the  Church  on  the  earth  and 
its  persecutors  (19:20).  ^esus  by  His  resurrection  has  overcome  death 
and  Hades  (20:14),  He  is  the  living  One  (1:18),  the  eternal  Son  of 
God  (3:t8),  the  Beginning  of  the  creation  of  God  (3:14),  the  Divine 
Word  (19:13),  the  Lamb  of  God  slain  (29  times  in  Rev.)  who  has  re- 
deemed the  saints  to  an  inheritance  in  the  new  Jerusalem,  and  the  Judge 
of  all  (3:5.  12,  14-22).  No  more  triumphant  and  beautiful  conclusion 
for  the  gospel  could  be  conceived  than  the  last  two  chapters  of  Revela- 
tion, in  which  a  glorious  imagination  leads  us  through  the  city  of  God, 
where  mercy  and  truth  are  met  together;  righteousrc«s  and  peace  h^vt 
kistcd  each  other. 

116 


T««  TiiTTH  or  iii«  ArojTdLic  Gogrii. 

Study  1 6:    The  Mrnifold  Gospel 


Seventh  Day:    The  Gosvel  and  the  Terms  on  Which  It 
IS  Received 

bfcome  poor  (Phil  2-6-u)  .ornrHinlfi' u  I  """'''  '"!'  ™«  havm? 
>o  the  will  n  H  ,  F.rhlr  in  oh7h1/  Ji.";^''"*"  "  *■'"  "''  "Mience 
for  sin   (Hcb   Vo".  .  ■    «.  ..i  *j-  "  •"""""  "«'""•  »»  a  sacrifice 

sh^wTin  Hi'deU  1i'do'?hVwiirof'?i^,'°F.-IS''\''  r'  "!?  '"""•■" 
li/e  fcr  the  world  (John  lo:  ;  l8)  •  according  .oP^''  'T"'  ""T"  "'* 
•  he  Chris,  suffered  in  the  fliJh  o^ourXhSff  n^p'^ ''  "f?  »''V'''li 

reconciling  us  to  God  »nd  mnkin/,,,  HU  sons  "^  ^'"^  "*""  '"  '" 

K  T"""  '£^>v""'''  "?'  ""derstand  (Mark  8 -ji  « ;  o  2I    Luke  q  2^ 
H„  m.nd  ,n  u..  and  do  His  will  which  is  love  to  God  aS  man. 


"7 


PART  III. 


THE  CREDIBILITY  OF  THE  APOSTOLIC  GOSPEL 


Thi  Tsuth  or  THE  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


First  Day  :    The  Jesus  of  History  According  to 
Naturalism 

.heir  ^fel-Jha^rhi^",'  iSs^JhTn  riC",^,'?!?-'--'  ■''?=  "nd 

cePved  thanXrrYord  who  was  the  Wav'.rT.T'"'^  ■5°';'!',  ^  '=°"- 

?^'?reT.'o^„=S^ri~^T^^^^^^^^ 

whose  SpiH.  was  inS' S,'a„^d  ^Jho-^d^eruT,!,  L^.h^SSi' 

only  five  or  ten  sayings  and  etent,  „'f  fj"""  ""^  °'  J""'-"  ^"<'  ""at 
and  "chnrch"  concerns   n  which  Tesufhi^'I^^'''  "'t,  "i^h^'  ^'S<:nds 

or  less  mythic  cmbroie.  ,  «„H=  /"tJ    "'f  ""'i'.  '''<=■  "  ^^^  "•"<>■•« 

rTemptation  of  Jesu  ",  .'  p  ^"ched  the' K  3„^'"  ^^1^^'  ""'^'' 

me  at  fir<;t  fhaf  hJb  ;j1,  j  preacnea  the  Kingdom  of  God  exoect- 

?rlr^^.T-  -'""^  "°  "«'o^"  a"n^d1^^„Srr^7rn'rr^S'S  ^„1 


Thi  Tbuth  or  the  Aposiouc  Gospil 


m 


Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Second  Day:    The  Real  Creators  of  Christianity  Ac- 
cording TO  Naturalism 


f  » 


n 


I.  But  the  Jesus  of  history  jnst  outlined  was  far  too  narrowly  Jew- 
ish to  become  the  Lord  of  the  world.  Whether  He  claimed  to  be  the 
Messiah  or  not,  the  gospel  preached  by  the  first  disciples  was  national- 
istic; they  had  no  interest  in  the  outside  world,  and  in  fact  did  not  be- 
lieve that  the  present  age  had  many  years  to  run  (Acts  3:13-26;  5: 
30-32). 

3.  A  change  first  came,  thev  tell  us,  with  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  did 
not  know  Jesus  in  the  flesh,  but  through  a  vision  was  persuaded  that 
He  was  the  Messiah  and  Son  of  God,  Saviour  for  Jew  and  Go. ale 
(2  Cor.  12:  i-io;  Gal.  i :  15-17).  The  historic  Jesus  thus  disappear  ">-om 
the  gospel  and  instead  of  His  ethical  message  of  the  kingdom,  .i-'  'he 
fer\id  preaching  of  His  first  disciples  that  the  Messiah  would  i.  "■'■:  /e- 
turn  to  judgment,  the  Gentiles  are  taught  Jesus  Christ,  crucified  and 
risen  (i  Cor.  15:1-4).  But  this  gospel  was  just  what  was  needed  *i  ap- 
peal to  the  Western  mind,  especially  when  reinforced  by  the  imprissive 
personality  of  Paul. 

3.  After  Paul's  death  this  interpretation  of  Christ  spread  rapidly,  till 
at  the  close  of  the  first  century  an  unknown  author,  changing  it  slightly 
to  suit  the  requirements  of  that  age.  gave  it  classic  expression  in  the 
fourth  gospel.  "The  bestowal  upon  Jesus  of  the  title  Son  of  God,  which 
He  did  not  claim,  and  probably  could  not  have  understood,  marked  a 
step  forward.    When  He  was  lifted  up  from  earth  and  made  a  God  He 

drew  all  men  unto  Himself It  may  be  (questioned  whether  without 

this  deification  it  would  have  become  historically  possible  for  Him  to 
dispense  His  spiritual  gifts  through  the  ages"  ("En cyclopedia  Biblica," 
"Son  of  God,  ^  25).  "While  we  may  call  the  fourth  gospel  unhis- 
torical,  we  must  not  forget  that  just  through  its  constructive  work  did 
Christianity  itself  first  become  a  factor  in  history"  (Holtzmann). 

4.  It  is  thus  clear  that  according  to  naturalism  Jesus  is  not  the  sole, 
nor  perhaps  even  the  most  important  factor  in  the  Christianity  of  the 
New  Testament.  All  that  He  did  seems  to  have  been  to  give  a  certain 
impulse  towards  a  higher  and  purer  conception  of  God  and  man.  The 
Christian  gospel  which  converted  the  world  is  the  gos^-I  of  Jesus,  Paul, 
and  the  unknown  fourth  evangelist.  Is  it  not  then  one  ot  the  injustices 
of  history  that  Jesu-  of  Nazareth  has  been  raised  to  such  an  exclusive 
pinnacle  ? 


ThI  TsUTH  of  TBI  APOSIOUC  GoSPtt 

Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Third  Day :    The  Testimony  of  Paul  as  to  the  Primitive 
Gospel 

I.    The  New  Testament  like  the  rocks  carries  in  itself  sure  trar...  nf 

of  l'''(?h;"t''of"Ve''rh"'"\'J^  "t-  "  "'"  "''  P'™it  t^rass'imp  io°n 
Wh.,,  t.^l  fL'^'  ^'"'"^^  *"''°'"  sufficient  spiritual  antecedents 
When  we  read  the  undisputed  epistles  of  Paul  we  discover  that  the  Jos 
pel  which  absorbed  his  interest  had  been  in  existence  befo?e  hi  ^a, 
converged.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  earnestness  of  Gal  2%  to  un 
ess  the  most  influential  section  of  Christendom  felt  that  lY  oWed  nothfni 
to  the  apostle  to  the  Oentiles?  That  section  carried  with  i?"he  Drestief 
of  primitive  faith  They  were  the  authorities  (Gal.  .,"7%  6rcf'?c'o'r 
;,„  t        1      "■■™)-,  Yet  Paul  asserts  vehement  y  that  there  is  and 

S  lSer''e^l,^°Ga\r:r'i:7"4)"'"  ""  ^""^^""^  "°''"  '^""^^^ 

2.  \nd  in  writing  to  the  Romans,  a  church  with  the  fonnHinj  »nH 
promotion  of  which  he  had  nothing  to  do  (Rom  iTs-.s)  and  which  was 
tUtnTtu^  "r°"  fatnous  throughout  Christendom' Paul  s^ndstiTem 
the  most  elaborate  account  of  his  gospel,  not  as  something  new  but  « 
a  gift  m  which  they  might  rejoice  (Rom.  1:15-17).  Does  not  Rom  (,- 
« J„7°^'f  """  '^  ^^'P^'  ''^<'  '»k=n  a  definite  shape,  different  S'  no 
f™nH?H ?  n";  ■"'■"  i^U  "1"  ^^'"^'^  ^'"'^  'he  church  of  Rome  wa? 
inflSeni  of  P  'T^P^hably  there  has  been  a  tendency  to  overestim^«"he 
len,  w.  ni?'- '  "'"'"  VV  ';■■'>'  Cl""-<:h.  but  this  is  not  becau™  he  as 
whole  bro'therTrH"'„'-  ^'^'"^"'  ''°"  ^'  """"  ««P'  »»  '""al  ?o  the 
ot?i'e  t'dy"o'f"ct  s? (aSrT.J^^^l.h^'X^tf-B';?  TT^-  """^ 

eariy  Christian" hel%?f'° I?""''-?™,''"''  '^T.  «h«h  to  take  a  survey  of 


V, 


m  \ 


i   1 


I' 

I: 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 

Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Fourth  Day  :    The  Earliest  Gospel 

1.  Have  we  any  traces  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament  as  to  the 
substance  of  this  pre-Pauline  gospel  ?  It  is  admitted  by  very  radical 
critics  that  the  discourses  of  Peter  in  Acts  contain  authentic  accounts 
of  primitive  Christian  beliefs  ("Encyclopiedia  Biblica,"  article  "Acts  of 
the  Apostles,"  g  14).  (See  especially  Acts  2:22-36;  3:13-26;  4:10-12; 
5:29-32.)  Jesus  is  the  risen  Lord,  the  Prince  of  Life,  the  Saviour,  the 
Servant  whose  death  has  brought  forgiveness,  the  Messiah  who  fulfills 
prophecy,  and  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead  (Acts  10:36-43).  This  con- 
taitu  all  the  fundamental  beliefs  that  are  more  fully  developed  in  the 
epistles. 

2.  A  very  great  deal  lies  behind  the  use  of  the  word  "Lord"  as  ap- 
plied to  Jesus  (Acts  2:36),  and  is  implied  in  the  worship  of  Jesus  (Acts 
7:59)-  The  brethren  glorify  the  Man  Jesus  though  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Jew  the  deification  of  the  creature  is  the  height  of  blasphemy.  But  in 
the  New  Testament  tt  is  impossible  to  trace  any  gradual  process  from 
hero  worship  into  deification  and  finally  into  the  entirely  transcendental 
Person  of  the  epistles.  The  earliest  Christian  worship  involves  funda- 
mentally the  same  view  of  Christ  that  comes  in  later  teaching.  Further, 
in  Acts  and  Paul  and  the  other  epistles  this  object  of  divine  worship  is 
the  Jesus  who  once  lived  on  earth  (Acts  4:10:  10:37,  38;  Phil.  2:5-11). 

3.  These  words  of  one  who  belongs  to  the  radical  wing  of  critics  are 
important:  "It  was  quite  natural  that  prayers  should  be  offered  up  to 
God  by  Jesus,  with  Jesus,  in  Jesus,  and  very  little  time  can  have  elapsed 
before  prayers  were  pouted  forth  to  Jesus  Himself,  if  indeed  this  was 
not  done  from  the  beginning,  inasmuch  as  He  was  ever  present  with  His 
own,  ready  to  hear  and  able  to  grant  their  requests.  In  truth  one  is  at  a 
loss  to  see  how  Christianity  could  have  failed  to  be  the  worship  of 
Christ,  and  it  is  nowise  rash  to  hold  that  their  worship  in  a  certain 
sense  preceded,  sustained  and  inspired  the  work  of  Christian  thought 
respecting  the  person  of  the  Redeemer.  The  Christian's  conversation 
was  with  his  Lord  in  heaven;  if  he  distinguished  God  from  his  Christ 
he  none  the  less  beheld  God  in  his  Christ,  so  close  and  indissoluble  was 
the  union  of  the  two;  he  prayed  to  God  in  praying  to  Christ,  though  the 
solemn  supplications  of  the  congregation  were  addressed  to  Ciod  through 
Christ.  Jesus  was,  as  it  were,  the  face  of  God  turned  towards  man. 
Christian  piety  went  on  placing  the  Saviour  at  the  highest  pinnacle  of 
glory,  seeking  and  finding  God  in  Him,  adoring  Him  in  heaven  and 
striving  to  imitate  the  example  He  had  set  it  upon  earth,  and  drawing 
its  force  from  this  twofold  character  of  its  object,  the  divine  and  the 
human"  (Loisy,  "L'Evangile  et  I'Eglise."  251.  252,  3d  edition).  Is  not  the 
most  reasonable  explanation  of  this  given  in  Luke  24: 45- ,9;  John  20; 
26-29?  On  this  subject  the  reader  of  German  may  consult  T.  Zahn's 
essay  on  "Die  Anbetung  Jesu  im  Zeitalter  der  Apostel"  in  his  "Skizz.n 
aus  dem  Leben  der  Alten  Kirche." 


124 


The  Tkuth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study   17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Fifth  Dav:    Results  of  Rece.vt  Criticism  of  the 
SyNopTic  Gospels 

culties  of  a  naturalistic  interpretation  of  ,),,£'  "^'^  )""<^»se  the  diffi- 
port  the  apostolic  view  wShlsZrJj^K''"^"  '"''""•  ''"•  '"P" 
seem  to  be  agreed  upon.  '""'''  "•«"  ''"'i'">-    These  points 

wn;ite^''ipostolic''sou^^il!l  P«ri?,'e""dirn'""l'-  f "«''  ""«  "'  >w° 
fully  by  the  Gospel  of  Mark  and  a  M,„h  "'"''^i'  «P'"ented  most 
courses  of  Jesus,  from  which  the  »o,n,l.  ofili  collection  of  the  dis- 
their  words  of  the  Lord.  *    '         '  Matthew  and  Luke  take 

cr,ticii,S^rJ';L'",S:l?i^!'':o"^=„o''r;i,7he1h;e'^  """^1'  "-^■'-'f  'o 
■ngs  common  to  Matthew  and  Luke     N^J  L",^*"'"''''  »"<•  "-e  say- 

":J7).  These  are  only  the  most  imnortantnP^^"*'  'V'S--''^  Matt, 
of  common  material,  but^they  c-^vfr  'Srslll^X^lT^.Vc^'^S^,  ^^' 

.otp,ll^>mo<^t"^cS'i^  %°^^  t^'l^tl!  Z  '";  T''"',"'  '"^  '"ree 
Petnne  tradition,  which  warwi5,.,^r^f^  ■  '^P^ijction  of  the  living 
embodied  also  iti  our  gorpe h  of  M^hew  .n^'  f''F^''.,"d  which"! 
shape  our  second  gospel  bears  the  7,,!^  t  "''  f""''^-  '"  '»'  Present 
ough  sympathy  with  fhe  Chrfs,  of  heTu  in-""".";  "'''°,  "^^  '"  "■""- 
pel  of  Jesus  the  supernatural  Person  the  Sn„  n?'r  h'  I'  ''  ">=  G"^' 
man.festation  of  divine  power  H°s' knLiX- °°'''  "''?'^  "'«  "  ^ 
demons  worship  Him,  He  forgives  siSr^^f  ,'■'  "S?"  '.''^"  human, 
(2:«),  and  has  divine  homageTa?dHim\l5?39)  "'  '^""' 

as^heJlw'ilTd  wa^rrSL^3et"„^3eml!;°o?  t'he'nX"  °^i'!.'=  ^"P^" 
of  Luice  can  hardly  have  been  acaSted  w'^.h  „  ?""",•  F^e  author 
and  it  is  improbable  that  either  ?osDel£,r^"J  our  Gospel  of  Matthew, 
Mark  in  its  present  shape  Theifsim  larhie,  =?  7*'.'°  ""  <^«P'='  <>' 
tohc  sources.  So  apart  from  these  they  a«  in  ?Lf  ■'°  ™T°"  »P"- 
three  independent  narratives  of  the   ifl  of  Jes„s  Chris!""         """'""" 


125 


ThR  TtUTH  OF  TH«  APOSTOLIC  GOSPIL 


Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  Our  Gospels 


Sixth  Day  :    The  Character  of  Jesus  is  the  Greatest 
Miracle  in  the  Gospels 


1.  What  is  the  fundamental  characteristic  of  the  Person  of  Jesus 
Christ?  He  is  One  who  combines  excessive  claims  as  to  divine  nature 
with  surpassing  self-sacrifice  in  a  true  human  life.  His  love  to  the 
world  of  men  is  such  as  had  never  before  been  known,  but  the  marvel 
of  the  sacrifice,  according  to  gospels  and  epistles,  arises  from  the  sin- 
lessness  and  transcendent  dignity  of  Him  who  thus  gives  Himself  for 
men.  It  is  because  He  is  the  Son  of  God  that  the  death  of  the  cross  is 
the  heart  of  the  gospel  (Phil.  2:5-11;  John  10:17.  18;  Heb.  i:i-3; 
I  Peter  1:19.  20).  It  is  because  of  the  character  and  majesty  of  the 
Son  of  Man  that  His  service  on  oarth  is  so  priceless  (Mark  10:45).  All 
the  details  of  the  synoptic  gospels  are  so  handled  by  their  authors  as  to 
throw  into  relief  this  quality  of  person  in  the  historic  Jesus. 

2.  But  this  insuperable  difficulty  is  also  presented  to  naturalism— the 
character  of  the  Jesus  of  our  present  gospels.  Admittedly  the  figure 
in  the  gospels  is  the  most  perfect  Person  that  has  ever  been  delineated. 
Yet  the  picture  is  painted  out  of  the  most  commonplace  colors,  and  on 
the  simplest  possible  background.  It  is  a  mere  peasant  life  in  the  ob- 
scure province  of  Palestine.  There  was  nothing  in  the  people,  their  in- 
terests, or  their  political  life  to  catch  the  imagination  cf  the  world;  but 
out  of  these  surroundings  there  arises,  without  the  slightest  straining 
after  effect,  a  Person  who  lives  forever  in  the  world's  heart.  The 
deepest  truths  of  religion  are  expressed  in  the  story  of  the  simplest  life. 
His  death,  the  degrading  execution  of  a  criminal  sentence,  becomes  in- 
vested for  the  world  with  far  more  than  the  sacredness  of  martyrdom, 
or  pity  for  a  miscarriage  of  justice. 

3.  Finally  there  is  not  felt  to  be  any  moral  incongruity  on  the  part 
of  Jesus  in  asserting  divine  prerogatives.  He  remains  a  marvel  of  hu- 
mility even  when  He  calls  all  men  to  Himself.  He  does  not  appear  ab- 
surd in  stepping  beyond  the  limits  of  mortal  humanity.  Instead  of  de- 
p-ading  the  conception  of  God  when  He  claims  to  be  divine,  there  is 
nowhere  a  purer  monotheism  nor  a  loftier  view  of  the  fatherhood  of 
God  than  just  in  those  parts  of  the  gospels  where  the  transcendent  per- 
sonality of  Jesus  is  most  distinctly  portrayed  (John  4:10-26;  14:1-24). 
(On  this  subject  see  Fairbairn's  "Philosophy  of  the  Christian  Religion," 
Book  II.,  Part  i,  Chs.  1-3) 


ia6 


Tai  TiUTU  or  im  Afostolic  Gosru. 


Study  17:    The  Trustworthiness  of  Our  Gospels 


Seventh  Dav:    The  Results  of  Criticism  Make  the 
Naturaustic  View  of  Jesus  More  DiKricuLx 

8  139),  his  own  position  is  becoming  de?nerfte-  for  hi  ?;.  °°'P' V 
how  the  jejune  and  disappointed  ''rfsusJfna^urSum"  ^'  '"."P'^'" 
three  wonderful  independent  portraits  o  our  g^"  '^itf  aims'"so°  d^f' 
ferent  aiid  meant  for  readers  so  differently  circuras  an^^rf  wt..  •  -I 
entered  into  the  souls  of  these  evanirelist,  or^^?^£  ■  -.^  T"' 
sources,  which  enabled  them  to  chanfe  h^  ecst«ic  Pmnl,,","'.'[7-'T?''= 
.nto  the  divinely  human  perfect  Ideal  ff  the  world's%So„  ?°'  ^"''" 


Thi  Truth  or  the  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study   1 8:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 

(Contluued) 


Pi 
ii 


First  Day  :    Naturalism  is  Really  tiif  Dema:.  of  the 
Apostolic  View  of  the  Person  of  Christ 


1.  Further,  the  fourth  gospel  tnust  heighten  our  wonder  at  the 
creative  ingenuity  of  the  early  Christians.  For  the  verdict  of  the 
Church  is  that  the  Johannine  Christ  is  not  discrepant  from  the  synoptic 
Christ.  He  has  appealed  to  the  spiritual  understanding  of  the  bod^  of 
believers  as  the  same,  though  His  Person  is  portrayed  by  a  more  mti- 
mate  and  discerning  interpreter.  No  single  evangelist  can  daim  to  be 
cither  the  creator  or  sole  delineator  of  that  harmonious  Figure,  whose 
divine  supremacy  and  power  are  incarnate  in  a  life  of  perfect  human 
love  and  beauty. 

2.  It  must  in  fact  be  admitted  that  every  one  of  our  gospels  as  they 
now  stand  was  written  by  believers  in  J'sus  Christ  as  the  Divine 
Messiah.  The  task  »  *  L'^sentangling  the  Jesus  of  history  from  these  nar- 
ratives becomes  h-)p(  ■  •  for  each  naturalistic  critic  finds  simply  as  much 
in  these  gospels  as  hij  preconceived  conception  of  Jesus  will  permit  him 
to  discover,  and  the  tendency  is,  as  we  have  seen,  to  reduce  the  his- 
torical elements  to  a  minimum. 

3.  But  he  is  faced  with  this  formidable  difficulty.  Long  before  any 
of  our  gospel  sources  were  written  down  there  was  the  gospel  that 
JPaul  preached,  and  there  was  the  gospel  uf  the  Jewish  Christian 
church  which  was  older  than  that  of  Paul,  while  behind  that  we  have 
the  primitive  preaching  of  Peter  outlined  in  Acts.  And  through  all 
these  we  see  not  the  Jesus  of  the  naturalistic  critics,  but  the  super- 
natural Son  of  God,  Saviour  and  Lord. 

4.  Naturalism  is  in  reality  a  denial  of  the  point  of  view  from  which 
the  earliest  known  gospel  was  preached.  It  is  beside  the  mark  to  ap- 
peal to  Paul  in  order  to  show  how  the  gospel  could  become  independent 
of  the  historic  Jesus.  This  will  come  up  more  fully  in  a  later  study. 
Though  Paul  did  think  of  Jesus  as  the  risen  Son  of  God,  there  was,  as 
we  have  seen,  in  the  background  of  his  thought  the  real  human  life  of 
Jesus  on  earth.  What  has  to  be  explained  is  how  a  Person,  whose  in- 
most quality  and  character  are  the  same  as  those  o'  the  Christ  of  the 
Pauline  epistles,  is  given  th-  splendidly  perfect  human  life  of  the  gos- 
pels. The  actual  gospels  carrying  their  detailed  environment  of  Jesus 
arc  far  more  wonderful  than  the  Pauline  epistles.  One  and  the  same 
Person  pervades  gospels  and  epistles.  The  gospels  emphasize  His 
earthly  career,  the  epistles  consider  the  risen  and  eternal  Christ. 


138 


The  Tklih  ur  iiii  Aivsioiic  Gosiil 
Study  1 8;    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Second  Dav:    The  Miracuu.ls  in  the  Gosiei.s 
1.     It  is  thus  the  simplosl  Miliition  of  the  difficultif   whi.-h  ...n.r.. 

mflu.nct  ,„  the  he.ghtening  of  the  miraculous,  theTrraJive,  of  he 
bmh  and  infancy  of  Jesus  and  the  resurrection,  while"  hey  also  believe 
^hall-'crid^'th'^ir''^"  ■"  ""  """'  ""  "  '""'"^  "'-"  .'n 'Jror;:"\'^e^ 

cjLpj^,,r^-f^^^^^^ 

pel,  not  at  al  to  compel  those  to  believe  who  would  not  accent  Hi. 
rjt^    "it"  T>'""i'>l<^  '«  "Pirate  the  words  from  the  works  „Tje"j' 

.ui  i^.°'.  '*  "'f"  '"^-  ''"'or'"'  justification  for  separatinir  the  mira- 
tlJTJT  f'5"l''  !?  ""''I  '°  "<"'""  "'^'  }'""  drove  out  th^d? 
»Ta  ^u^  ^."'"^  "'J  d.seastd,  but  to  deny  that  He  raised  he  dead 
stilled  the  storm,  or  fed  the  live  thousand.  The  atteiipt  is  made  to  e, 
plain  the  nature  miracles  as  embellishments  of  event,  due  ?o  natural 
»n.^',?'  I'  "  ""  T'""",  '''.fi«""'ive  speech,  parable  or  a"fegory  The 
gospels  know  nothing  of  this  distinction.  All  miracles  are  eoni^llv  thl 
T'."Ks!\'"^T't  ""t'  "l'  "'P"''»t"ral  Person'(Mar?":"^;'5' 
wonder       '^  ^'^  "  ""  ^"'°''  ""■"  "'="  ""'  «'  ^>"=  "c'tes 

,r^AiZ^"^'l'^'  greatest  miracles  occur  in  the  oldest  part  of  the  gosnel 
P,,,^  T^"''"!''  '^'  •""■'  «^''°l"5''iP  to-day  assigns  to  the  aSi. 
f^A/.A  ^^tt  ""^  <^°"^'P"'>P  of  Christ  as  Lord  over  r.  .ture  becamrem! 
."he  delth"oUesur""  "'  ^"  '^'"""""^  -"^'"  .w.nty-'five"yTa'rs"Sf 

them   the  ^""gy  of  God  Himself.    They'Sie^^d  thaMhfs  fp',"  ,  "^  ^ 

me„,fT"l,°'  """  ^"''  '■''  ?"  "■■"'  ="<<  Of  Hi,  miracuou?  endow! 

^TJ-  ^f^  >  i  35  ;  3 :  M ;  10 :  21 ) .    Miracles  formed  an  essential  element 

•1    A  '?"'  "".P'-«"on  of  the  lordship  of  Jesus,  whom  they  invMted 


i'!.! 


Tmi  Tiutu  or  the  ArotTOLic  Goiru. 
Study   1 8:    The*  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 

Third  Day:    The  Narratives  or  the  Infancy 

1.  Th€  birth  of  Jetui  by  the  Holy  Spirit  from  a  virgin  mother  (Matt. 
l:l^Jo;  Luke  1:34.  35)  i>  incredible  In  these  dayi  to  many  who  find 
in  such  a  narrative  not  unly  a  phenumcnon  without  any  precedent,  but  one 
which  leems  to  them  to  rob  Jciui  of  Hii  human  nature.  Of  late  the 
criticism  of  the  portions  of  the  gospels  in  which  this  event  Is  embedded 
has  become  very  acute.  But  the  negative  criticism  has  been  more  suc- 
cessful as  usual  in  the  destructive  process  than  In  its  constructive  theo- 
ries to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  records. 

3.  These  arc  the  chief  arguments  against  the  virgin  birth:  (a)  It 
is  not  referred  to  In  Mark,  the  earliest  gospel,  in  the  gospel  of  John,  nor 
in  any  of  the  epistles,  (b)  The  narratives  of  Mattnew  and  Luke  are 
conflicting  and  full  of  legendary  material,  (c)  If  they  are  true  "we 
have  lost  the  Christ  who  can  feel  with  us  because  He  is  one  with  us  in 
physical  structure  and  composition." 

3.  To  these  objections  answer  may  be  made:  (a)  The  subject  matter 
is  nut  such  as  would  early  become  current  in  the  gospel,  for  it  would  be 
known  only  to  the  f.imily  circle.  The  fourth  evangelist  omits  it  be- 
cause he  writes  from  his  own  cxpcriincc  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  (b)  Mat- 
thew and  Luke  are  independent  of  each  other,  and  so  arc  two  witnesses 
to  the  story-  In  thcnselvcs  the  narratives  which  contain  the  event  bear 
strons  evidence  of  authenticity,  for  they  preserve  for  us  (especially 
Luke)  a  wonderfully  beautiful  and  true  picture  of  the  6nest  piety  of 
Israel,  which  had  passed  away  long  before  they  were  written  down 
(Luke  i'4(>S?'  67-79).  In  these  verses  the  ancient  prophetic  ideal  is 
enshrined  which  disnpprared  as  it  was  fulfilled  in  the  gospel.  What 
finer  as  well  as  historically  more  probable  picture  of  the  home  circle  from 
which  the  Messiah  was  to  cnme  could  he  drawn?  (c)  The  Christ  of  the 
gospels  i<t  more  than  our  Example.  He  is  Revealer  of  God  and  Re- 
deemer of  men  as  well 

3.  If  they  arc  unhistorical,  whence  did  the  narratives  come?  Critics 
are  hopelessly  at  variance.  Some  say  from  a  Jewish  source,  others  from 
a  Gentile  origin,  (i)  But  they  did  not  spring  from  a  Jewish  source, 
for  (a)  Is.  7;  14  is  not  sufficient  to  account  for  the  subsequent  structure, 
especially  as  (b)  the  Hebrew  regarded  marriage  as  honorable  and  vir- 
ginity not  a  peculiar  state  of  blessedness,  and  (c)  the  Messiah,  in  so 
far  as  He  was  a  human  figure,  was  to  be  a  king  of  Davidic  descent  as 
well  as  Son  of  God.  (2)  They  were  not  of  Gentile  oriifin,  for  the  Chris- 
tian mind  revolted  from  the  polluting  stories  of  the  births  of  demi- 
gods and  herors,  and  Jesus  was  pfver  regarded  as  less  than  fully  divine. 
(3)  It  is  not  due  to  doRmatic  motives,  for  it  is  never  used  to  account  for 
the  sinlessncss  of  Jesus,  nor  did  He  deny  His  natural  descent  (Mark  3: 
33-35)- 

4.  The  meaning  of  the  narratives  is  that  Jesus  is  of  supernatural 
origin.  As  he  was  unique  in  His  life  and  resurrection  so  was  He  in  His 
birth.  He  cannot  hv  accounted  for  as  other  men  are,  He  was  a  new 
creation,  even  as  He  was  also  the  first  fruits  of  those  that  slept  (1  Cor. 
15:20-22;  Rom.  (;:t2-2i).  (On  this  subject  se  W  M.  Ramsay's  "Was 
Christ  Born  at  Bethlehem?"  Sanday  in  article  "Jesus  Christ,"  Hastings's 
D.  B.  Lobstein's  "Virsrin  Birth  of  Christ"  is  the  best  presentation  of  the 
negative  view.  F.  H.  Chase's  "The  Supernatural  Element  in  Our  Lord's 
Earthly  Life"  is  valuable.) 


W    1'^ 


Till  T»iiii  OF  nil  AmjioLir  Go^rii 


Study   1 8:    TIil'  Triistwortliinoss  of  the  Gospels 


Fourth  Dav:    Was  Jesus  Mistaken  About  the  Future? 


power,  but  that  in  this  He  wa.,  like  th7m    miinW,r    Tk  '""«''°"'  '" 

Crete  expression  in  ,he  enrthly  communities  of  His  followers 

■  .  ,<-<;'.     Much  anxiety  anrt  heart  s.-arching  woufd    I  mhv  hr'c,^  i?H 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  1 8:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Fifth  Dav:    Was  Jesls  Mistaken   About  the  Future? 
(CtMitinued.) 

1.  The  disciples  could  as  little  think  of  the  present  world  without 
Jerusalem  and  the  old  nation  of  Jehovah's  choice,  as  the  world  of  the 
middle  ages  could  have  imagined  it  Homeless.  What  would  be  worth 
living  for  on  earth  after  the  destruction  of  Zion?  That  would  be  a  chap- 
ter of  God's  government  closed.  Nothing  more  could  be  done  with  this 
world.  It  was  the  end  of  the  old  dispensation  and  the  beginning  of  a 
new  order  with  a  new  sphere  for  the  final  kingdom.  The  Day  of  the 
Lord  would  have  come. 

2.  But  Jesus  did  not  teach  thus.  He  deals  it  is  true  with  the  fortunes 
that  are  awaiting  His  Jewish  disciples  in  the  national  reverses  so  soon 
to  come,  but  He  tells  them  also  that  the  gospel  has  an  earthly  mission 
beyond  Judaism  (Mark  14:9).  Of  its  career  in  that  period  He  says  lit- 
tle or  nothing,  excei>t  that  from  the  day  of  His  death  on  He  will  be 
coming  in  power  to  judge  the  hostile  world  and  to  encourage  His  own 
(Mark  8:38;  9;  i ;  Matt.  38: 18-30).  He  also  teaches  that  this  world  will 
have  a  catastrophic  ending,  for  when  the  earth  will  have  made  final  trial 
of  the  gospel  and  its  judgment  is  complete,  He  Himself  will  with 
majesty  inaugurate  the  kingdom  in  a  new  sphere  (Mark  13:24-27,  31; 
Matt.  25:31;  26:64).  But  when  that  will  be  not  even  the  Son  of  Man 
knows  (Mark  13:32). 

3.  Much  of  the  imagery  which  Jesus  employs  is  drawn  from  the  Old 
Testament  conception  of  the  Day  of  the  Lord  (Mark  13:24-27;  Isa.  13: 
9-13;  24:21-23;  34:4;  Jer.  4:23*?-:  Dan.  7:9,  10;  Joel  2:10,  ii)»  and  it 
is  a  wrong  method  to  interpret  all  His  language  literally.  As  He  used 
parables  and  symbol  to  convey  truths  which  were  beyond  the  compre- 
hensiotuof  His  followers  at  the  stage  of  their  spiritual  development  in 
Galilee  or  Judxa.  so  He  did  in  re^rd  to  the  future  of  the  kingdom. 
He  took  the  old  prophetic  terms  which  conveyed  a  tjermantnt  truth  and 
made  them  the  vehicle  of  His  deeper  fulfillment  of  it  Only  experience 
could  teach  them  all  that  was  wrapped  up  in  them,  and  to-day  we  are  still 
learning  more  of  their  import  than  previous  generations  knew.  This 
was  His  method  in  applying  to  Himself  the  title,  "Son  of  Man."  It 
was  also  His  pgedagogical  principle  in  foretelling  the  consummation  of 
His  kingdom  m  the  "Day  of  the  Lord."  Jesus  then  was  not  mistaken 
about  the  future. 


13a 


The  Truth  of  thk  Apostouc  Gospil 


Study  1 8:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Sixth  Day  :    Paul's  Account  of  the  Resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ 

livl;«-'r?.rLf,''';°'Y''  *''°  T»"°'  '""^'"'^  \°  ^'"y  "'^'  J«"s  Christ  is  a 
living  Person  to-day  in  a  different  sense  from  the  dead  who  are  even 
now  enjoying  immortality  assert  that  there  is  so  much  legendary  ma- 
tenal  woven  into  the  gospel  narratives  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  as  to 
make  the  event  itself  there  recorded  incredible.  Fortunately  for  us  we 
are  able  to  check  and  elucidate  the  gospel  stories  with  a  very  direct  and 
ample  defence  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  by  Paul  in  i  Cor.  15: 

I-o,  20,  35-54* 

in  rnrT„'',h  ,il".'','r  ■'  ""■'""  '°  ':°""'"act  the  Greek  notion  prevalent 
n  Corinth  that  the  resurrection  was  a  spiritual  event  already  past,  when 

tl^rZ  '^"./T  ^'Vl^  ^l''  '"it'?  »•"'<'  ">  ^'"  new  life 'in  the 
spirit.  The  apostle  bases  all  his  hope  of  his  own  future  life  on  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  (15:12-19).  He  does  not  emertain  the  Pharisaic  view 
of  a  return  from  the  dead  to  present  earthly  conditions,  for  frail,  decay- 
ing nesh  and  Wood  cannot  inherit  that  eternal  kingdom  (15:50)  But 
It  will  be  inherited  by  living  persons  who  have  their  own  former  bodies, 
though  flesh  has  given  way  to  a  new  material  which  cannot  be  described 
but  will  by  reason  of  God's  infinite  power  be  suitable  to  the  new  spiritual 
sphere  (15:35-49).  ' 

3.  The  proof  of  this  belief  is  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  Himself  died 
and  was  buried  and  rose  (therefore  left  the  grave  empty  15:3,  4)  His 
risen  body  is  the  first  of  the  great  harvest  of  the  resurrection  (15:20). 
But  Paul  never  describes  its  nature.  He  simply  states  that  it  is  the 
most  certain  of  facts  that  He  returned,  and  was  recognized  by  His 
friends  as  an  objective  reality,  and  that  He  held  personal  intercourse 
with  himself  (15:5-10).  No  better  historical  witness  could  be  de- 
manded by  these  Corinthians.  Whether  he  knew  of  the  appearances  to 
the  women  we  cannot  say,  but  their  testimony  would  be  of  small  weight 
with  such  a  church.  However,  He  was  seen  by  the  great  apostle  to 
whom  one  wing  of  this  church  looked  up  (i  Cor.  1:12),  also  by  the 
original  apostolic  body,  then  by  a  multitude  some  of  whom  were  still 
fi'^l  .1"  ".u  I'''*'''  "'  t'^.'^^  Christianity,  again  by  the  apostles, 
and  lastly,  as  though  ai.er  all  the  other  appearances  were  over,  by  the 
apostle  to  the  Ckntiles.  What  better  testimony  could  that  Church,  or  any 
church,  want?  ' 


'33 


Thi  Truth  of  thi  Aposiouc  GosraL 
Study  i8:    The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Gospels 


Seventh  Day:    The  Gospel  Narratives  of  the  Resur- 
rection 

fmncM^nTdX',?!,!!!.'  *»"''  """•"'""  "<=  "«  f«e<l  with  serious  dif- 
^'^I'  M=rl,  5i.i  T  1."°"  ""'"y  ""Ktls  »"«  at  the  tomb?  (Matt. 
(tklll'J^l  1  u-^-  L"''«  »4:4-)  To  whom  did  Jesus  first  appear? 
(Matt.  a8  9;  John  ao:i3-i6;  Luke  34:34.)  Where  did  Jesus  meet  Hi. 
disciples,  in  Galiee  (Matt.  28:10)  or  in  Jerusalem  (tX^- 16-4-,  ■ 
fc''„"„f°;'^^'  "  '"  ^'"  ,"°^"  "■■'■'>  A'number  of  these  dfficultfei 
t-TJ^^  «asonable  explanation.  But  what  is  to  be  said  of  Luke  4' 
39-43  when  compared  with  I  Cor.  13:50-53? 

nf^h-^f  ^rl  'l™''^  seen  reasons  why  Paul's  list  of  the  appearances 
of  the  risen  Christ  may  not  have  been  exhaustive,  and  he  also  afS^s  with 
all  the  gospels  that  the  grave  was  found  empty  on  the  relurrecHon 
morning.  Whatever  be  the  differences  all  agre?  upon  thaf  Fur'h™ 
to  whomsoever  or  wheresoever  appearances  came,  the  na?«  ives  aiS 
that  they  were  objective  manifestations  of  Jesus,  and  that  while  His  ao! 
E'ff  ""1  T'lf'  wonderful  y  changed.  His  disciplis  r«Zi."d  Hi"  and 
?n  1i„i"-.l\°i,"*''  '"'"■ni""'  Wlpwship  with  Him.  •ffis  is  also  quUi 
in  line  with  the  revelation  which  Paul  received  (l  Cor.  15:8)! 

.,t  't-T^'  **  admitted  that  there  are  in  these  narratives  many  de- 
tails which  we  cannot  explain.  And  we  can  easily  see  why  The  event 
r'oVde,r"?S'.  1?"^  anJ  the  emotion  so  intense  that  the  tradition  was 
wnn,.„^;  If  «°"7,»"">"t  l«  'Old  .-n  the  language  and  thought  of  the 
women  or  first  disciples,  who  in  their  bewilderment  might  be  unable  to 
recount  exactly  what  happened.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  most  self- 
consistent  story  IS  given  in  the  fourth  gospel  by  one  who  shows  the 
deepest  spiritual  comprehension  of  the  meaning  of  Chrises  life 

4.  But  with  all  their  differences  there  is  essential  agreement  and  the 
^^7,1°?^"°"  "  "".","  '"  "■?  '^""'  o'  "■=  '«n>endous  fact  with  wh  ch 
l^LT^ll  i"',"  °u  ■'"J"  f"l"""a«d.  What  finer  harmony  could  be 
found  with  Paul's  thought  than  the  beautiful  stories  of  Luke  24  n-,?  ■ 
,,  I'lJ^'''^  ?"<!*•>«  truer  explanation  of  his  doctrine  in  Tcor.  3! 
17,  18  than  the  incidents  of  Luke  24:32;  John  20:21-23? 

f„'n.^'°*'l''  <''?J"',  °^  ""5.  "'"■■'■"^''O"  of  Jesus  is  required  to  account 
ul,n)^  o?!''  rl""  "L  ""  '"?'=''''"*  '!"'■■  "'"=•  "«  Apostle  Paul,  and  the 
v™  /L.  K  i"""^  'I"  """■  ?'  "  "ot  too  much  to  say  that  whether 
you  judge  by  adequate  human  testimony,  or  by  the  proof  of  history,  no 
event  has  more  suflicient  external  evidence  for  its  objective  reality  than 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  from  the  dead. 


The  Tbuth  of  thi  Apostolic  Gospel 


Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


First  Day  :    The  Epistles  Demand  the  Christ  of  Our 
Gospels 

truisms,  but  aglow %^th  a  oower  ?m,  '  ^?"    =°"""'";P'«"  or  ethica 

historically.    The  Christian  v?7i,'"h?'.he"'chHs,  IZl  r/"'""^'''' 
rately  narrated  in  our  gospels  Himself  ,rft,.„  r    '  l''^  "  '""- 

tion,  wing  added  to  wing  sfo.^  ,0  s.ory'    Thh^Tjuliy.'",:  '""?'''- 


The  Truth  of  the  Apostolic  Gospei. 
Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Second  Day:    Not  a  Creation  of  Old  Testament  Con- 
ceptions 

t=in.v^.".^'  T  '".u°^u-  ^^  ."a'^ralism  that  we  cannot  now  with  cer- 
tainty get  to  know  the  historical  Jesus,  but  only  "the  Christ-fimirf  nf  ,h- 

fj>'f""'t"  ?.^""''"  '"'"■•"  "■=  ■•"'  "^P  i^  to  account  for  thi,Teation  u! 

TrL       i""'  '""?P'!A^'  ^'''  Testament,  contemporary  Jewish  though, 

i'i\l"^  even  Buddhistic  parallels  are  adduced  as  materials  out  of 

tt'^hfrsl  ffX^Sir  """'«"  ""»"^'"  ""  "■'  JesuT-ofhfsUln^i 

vital  conception  of  Jehovah  is  applied  to  Christ,  and  all  The  soinS 

ours  may  be  the  method  employed  by  writers  of  thrNew  Tesament  t" 
prove  in  detail  that  the  promises  of  the  old  covenant  are  fulfileTin  the 
.^  "IS  very  evident  that  they  have  penetrated  to  the  living  stream  of 
ruth  which  underlies  all  the  history  and  literature  of  the  O  d  Testam"' 
..nd  they  prove,  that  in  quality  it  is  the  same  stream  as  has  ound  ts  way 
10  the  surface  in  such  overflowing  purity  in  Jesus  Christ  ^ 

l,.i.  .1'  'i-J^y.  '°  ""'oj!;  '.^e  secrets  of  the  Old  Testament  when  we 
^»Ws  ^t/^elSLnf^lii- -- -^i 

Stf),„,i  •  .  .  ^"  ^^^  '°  overloaded  the  letter  of  the  books  with 
traditional  interpretations  as  to  bury  the  truth  beneath  their  rubWsh 
eX-n'^LrM"  "l'  ""JP''  \lost  Bible,  speaking  wi?h  amhority  as  He 
fh7T„r,4  ^iT"  ""  eternal  truths  of  prophecy  concerning  the  Sefvant  of 
Lndii,.  n-,  /T"?"'  5'  "■"'  ''"''•  ""e  Kingdom  of  the  Son  of  Man 
and  the  Day  of  the  Lord  came  to  completion  in  Himself 

n.J;„i^r!""''5"'..''""!"'^,°"  "'«  P'"  of  'he  inspired  and  prophetic 
Me  S  h"  "'  ";'  '"'>'  ^^^'^^  "•'  conviction  that  since  Jesus  wis  the 
Messiah  He  must  surpass  in  grandeur  those  great  figures  of  the  Old 
I^IT"/'  "°'"  ?"■'  ?''■=''■  So  they  decked  Him  oTin  a  miraculois 
equipment  surpassing  the  powers  of  those  men  of  God.  But  the  o"d 
Person  th^-'l'"';''  'fP'S^''  <=■)  Whence  arose  the  majestic,  harmonious 
feive?  'How  H?rfM''™'''i''  'A"''?'  ""  """"^  '"'o  'he  mind  to  con- 
of  Ps  2  C  '  =„H  r"'-''!,?""!.""'  '"■'^^'  "'"^  disjointed  prophecies 
w„;i,  J'm^  "  I  l,?''l='''.-  togethc'  with  suggestions  from  the  life  and 
not  a,  »^  iH  f  fi  ^'"^^,- '"'°  "''',-^™  0'  ^od  whom  the  Church  loved. 
d«o?ion  MH  "'"■'■  *""'  'I '  \"-''"^  P"'""'  ^"^  ""ost  passionate 
^=™  6-J  ^^  ".u"  '"""  "  ,*'■«  Jews,  a  people  who  at  this  time  had 
mZirn  .ir"'^"""  '7.,""'?  ""'  *"^"«  between  God  and  man 
overcame  their  horror  of  blasphemy,  and  invested  the  Man  Jesus  with 
these  sovereign  attributes  of  Jehovah? 

'3* 


The  Truth  of  th«  Apostolic  Gospel 
Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Third  Day; 


The  Pauline  Christ  not  a  Creation  of 
Jewish  Thought 


fliin^in  LSi  "1™"  VM  '?'■  *";"'"  °'  ">«  New  Testament  were  in- 
fluenced by  the  thought  of  their  time.  They  used  the  language  of  their 
comemporar.es  Along  with  this  went  of  necessity  othe?  concept  ons' 
^^,f,u  "?!*  Z"'  ^"'"'^,  '""sniuted  into  vehicles  for  ChV  °ian 
thought,  while  others  were  almost  entirely  transfigured  when  they  be- 
came  adjusted  to  the  new  religious  ideas.  The  Pharisaic  system,  for  ex- 
ample, and  lh«  struMle  for  a  free  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  accounts  largely 
for  the  forin  into  which  Paul  threw  some  of  his  epistles.  But  the  kefnel 
of  his  gospel  IS  not  Pharisaic.  So  also  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  the 
Jewish  ritual  becomes  the  foil  for  the  universlil  Christian  truths  as  to 
sacrifice  and  worship. 

M?;.i?l!"  1°  ^^  "■%'  "''™  P>"'  ",>5  once  persuaded  that  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah  he  drew  from  the  theology  in  which  he  was  educated  the 
principal  strands  for  the  tapestry  upon  which  Jesus  Christ  stands  out  as 
a  glorious  masterpiece  of  his  own  contriving,  is  to  ignore  not  only  his 
own  testimony,  but  the  real  nature  of  current  Jewifih  conceptions. 

3.  The  contemporary  Jewish  writings  are  a  bewildering  bundle  of 
materials  from  which  some  parallel  might  be  brought  forward  to  sup- 
port almost  any  .doctrine  Their  Messianic  figure  was  so  indistinct  in  its 
outlines  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  what  was  really  essential  in  it 
.T.1  .l,*°1I?  ■  u  J™jsh  apocalypses  might  give  ground  to  the  view 
I^„«.,  JJ,^-"'!'',."?"  '!?'■<"?  3  P"»  o'the  hope  of  later  Judaism  (see 
Bousset,  Die  Religion  des  Judenthums,"  p.  209).  "Of  a  transcendental 
conception  of  His  person,  of  a  conception  of  Him  as  the  bringer  of  a  new 
revelation,  or  indeed  of  a  redemptive,  sin-removing  activity  there  is 
seldom  a  trace  in  the  average  Jewish  writings"  (218).  "With  perfect 
truth  Dalman  asserts  that  the  thought  of  a  preexistent  Messiah  was 
quite  alien  to  Judaism,  and  that  we  must  be  very  cautious  in  assuming 
that  there  were  ideas  of  preexistence  in  this  conception"  (251). 

4.  Even  if  the  Jewish  speculations  were  richer  than  they  are,  thrv 
could  not  account  for  the  Christ  of  Paul,  for  He  was  no  complex  of 
ideas,  but  a  living  Person.  Paul  does  not  present  his  gospel  as  a  learned 
teacher,  but  as  an  impassioned  preacher  redeemed  by  grace.  His  own 
Me  consists  of  two  halves.  Once  he  lived  as  a  Jew ;  now  he  lives  in 
Christ.  Is  the  language  of  Rom.  5:8:2  Cor.  5:13-19.  theory,  or  con- 
viction rooted  m  overwhelming  love?  Who  ever  loved  a  figure  in  fiction 
as  Paul  or  any  average  Christian  loved  Jesns  Christ? 


137 


Tbi  Teuih  of  iHi  Apostolic  Gospil 

Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Fourth  Day  :    The  Johannine  Christ  is  not  the  Product 
OP  Speculative  Thought. 

thifn!,'rfh  ^licj"!'  *■?"'/ D  '""f'™?'  »  construction  of  the  Christ  of 
«w  fourth  gospel  out  of  Paulinism,  Greek  mysticism,  and  th-  GriBco- 
Jewtsh  philosophy.  Philo  of  Alexandria  was  probabywel -known  to 
some  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament,  notably  the  ruthorofH^ 
^Tn'f.'h'n!'''",!^'"!.?'  ',■".  ^«°'  "  •}"'"  different  fr«S  whit  we 
«n?,5  hl^vT'"'.^''."' '"  ^?''"  '■■'■■*■  '"  G"'l«  philosophy  as  repre- 
?r^™  ,1,  '^ /*"',?'  '•'"  ^°J  "  >  P""'y  intellectual  conception  ariSing 
from  the  Greek  v.ev  of  the  contrast  between  matter  and  spirit.  Thf 
Lmos  was  the  personified  divine  reason,  the  concrete  thought  of  God 
which  seemed  to  serve  as  a  bridge  between  God  and  the  world. 

thf;  rf^L*'?-'  T°  i!  """'J.  different  with  the  fourth  evangelist.  Unlike 
iShff^n.  ^»°«"?  "'^°?'l ''"  '"£'/«' '"  "<"  '»  "«  external  world  and  the 
"wirW"  fir  h  ^"H.'li!;""'."-  1^"?'  ?"«'  i"""'","'"  difficulties  face  him 
J,I^nr,f  nh  ™""'  *'°'''''  °'  ""'"'  ""="■  What  is  his  view  of 
oXTLiii^»S"4i-?'"'  ■'?  "•  "JS.  M-)  Is  its  source  in  reason 
S™  .K  .  *  y"'  ?'"'°  ""'d  "ever  have  written  John  1 :  14.  More- 
Sir.;.  Tt""  ''°8°V'l°"  "o*  ,0<:™r  i"  'he  gospel  after  the  first  eighteen 
rL  1,  i'  ?™"8elisfs  problem  is  to  set  forth  Christ  as  the  Son  of 
£?hv  &.  ?r*  "JTi'Y"'  *°j'd  °f  ""••  i"'»  "hich  sin  has  emered 
on  H^n  (John  »"3i)'  °"        "'""     "     '°  """'  '"^°  "'"  '^''"' 

3-  The  fourth  evangelist  is  a  lover  not  a  speculative  thinker  He 
^h  Uk'iti'  f'""?  "'■"J'  '?•'.'''?  "«  Way,  the  TtSh,  and  the 
fonL  r„  k  j"  ''™"'?  """■di,"  ''fe  °f  iove,  and  sacrifice,  and  power, 
found  m  abundance  m  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  depicted  in  a  thoroughly 
/Vf.""  ,^  ^d  environnent.  In  the  profoundest  parts  of  the  gospel 
(13:31-17).  there  15  no  trace  of  cold  intellectual.im,  but  these  dis- 
courses palpitate  with  the  warmest  personal  emotion. 

"Tl'i,n^«^^.!?7'??j'  ';?1'<?'  '''3°'?".  ("Encydopaidia  Biblica,"  article 
oreteH  fn  th,  ^^^Ju'"  ^  ^^  •  1""'  '}"^i^'  conception  of  God  is  inter- 
F.  th.  1^  •  u  Ji"''  ^f'Pj'  "'"'  '  depth  unmatched  elsewhere.  God 
Itn  tt,  «*,  '"'".  "i?  h?'  sent  His  Son  to  redeem  the  world  from 
of  the  eJrn^T  "/  """.^l"  '^^/'^'^Y  ™'i^ed  by  the  sensitive  sou^ 
1,  .  t',!""?^'"';  J'  ■">'  ""e  simplest  solut  on  that  Jesus  Himself  was 
what  John  thought  Him  to  be?  that  the  One  whom  Joh"  Paul  ™d  ev"" 

•■rTril.  ^fTi^  ^A,"*"!;!.  "y  'J'^  '""'■«  "'  "'««  "■""'s  embodied  in  thi 
unrist  of  the  Church    which  meet  the  permanent  needs  of  men?    (See 

G^V^T^y^^Dr'r'mo^)'  ^'"'""  '""  ^""■""'■'■>  "'  "«   F™"" 


138 


The  T«uih  or  thi  Arosnajc  Gospo. 
Study  ,9:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Fifth  Day:    Jesus  Christ  Revealed  m  the  Christian 
Church 

Thi.  J,*,*b!;J'„„"//S.7„g'i'««„d'd  no.  .xhau.,  .he  life  of  Chri„. 

life  of  Hi,  Churchr"r  ji"u,  fn'Hi/'^.JJj'S'lf' T''  "^  '"^  '".'•'■« 
tory  since  the  days  by  the  lake  Genn.J^?    w      ""'  """  """"t  >">- 

s?^tera^„^j£rS£?af^^^^^^^^^^ 

f=-.heir^Sl^<i^;SS£SSlf  ?^ '=  -  IE! 
essence  is  unchangS  Khfl  of  a  hfinaTi"""  'i'  P?'"?.''  ""^  ">'' 
long  as  i.  live,  an5  in  .hrmelsure  of  i»  i"fe"'*("L?is;)  '=''  "  ""  """=  " 

a  and  3.  In  Eph.  3 -,8  .here  ?re  fh '^  should  be  plain  from  s.udies 
.he  saims."  fSi  kniwled«  of  the  ri,^-7  "S"'"""'  ""■■'is.  "with  all 
roll  of  .he  saints  is  complefe  and  each^on?.,'[!"."°'  ?'  ■""5!''''=  '■"  '•>« 
compose  the  Church.  Ttffo'unda.i'on' i,°SveS"'„''lSar76  •  III"  ,T" 
eiJrs  l'h^s?^fe"?s'  ^!  ^  ^^^^  H^^  ^^y  of^£=- 

Father  s  the  great  Sheoherd  nnrt  Ri«I,?f„  „Au      'o;'6  R-  V.).    God  His 

tangible  as  graiitati™    but   it   is  an  e£^?„,,f "'     "  """'  l^.  "  '"" 
Kingdom  of  God  whose  foundations"  nnTSliaS:*"  """"""^  "" 


Thi  Tiuth  of  iHi  ApotTouc  Gosrat 
Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Sixth  Day:    The  Mind  of  Christ  is  Reproduced  in  the 
Believer 

I.  The  Christian  life  and  character  are  a  powerful  proof  of  the  truth 
of  the  apostolic  gospel  because  they  issue  from  devotion  to  Jesus  Christ 
as  He  IS  set  forth  m  the  New  Testament.  The  Christian  01  ic  day  boasts 
m  the  language  of  I'  ul  that  he  is  the  slave  of  Christ.  What  must  Christ 
be  if  this  profession  of  servitude  to  Himself  which  His  disciples  have 
acknowledged  through  our  era  has  not  degraded  the  devotees?  fs  any 
mortal  man  sufficiently  perfect,  so  safe  in  his  judgments  and  sympathies 
as  to  be  chosen  for  the  ideal  of  the  race?  Why  does  a  man  who  is  wor- 
shiped or  slavishly  followed  so  soon  become  debased  and  degrade  his 
admirers  ? 

a.  But  the  slavery  of  Christ  has  resulted  in  the  highest  freedom  (Gal. 
5 ;  13),  and  m  the  truest  and  most  heroic  types  of  manhood.  Frequently 
in  history  it  is  known  that  men  of  power  have  gathered  round  a  hero 
with  boundless  admiration  of  him,  but  the  next  generation  presents  the 
world  with  successors  who,  being  out  of  touch  with  the  living  personality, 
only  copy  slavishly  the  vices  or  the  superficial  virtues  of  their  heroic 
'^  .-J  •  ''  4.  '""'  '  '•"'"y  worship  of  the  letter.  But  it  is  not  so 
with  Christ.  To-day  He  produces  as  heroic,  original  and  virile  manhood 
as  He  did  in  the  first  century. 

3.  The  worship  of  Jesus  is  not  a  literal  copying  of  His  earthly  life, 
liis  surroundings  and  works  in  Galilee  cannot  be  reproduced  to-day.  We 
live  in  a  different  world.  Who  would  profess  to  work  His  miracles,  or 
even  to  apply  every  saying  of  His  literally  to  the  present?  That  life  of 
Galilee  was  not  exhausted  by  its  contemporary  appreciation.  The  teach- 
ing and  principles  of  Christ  are  simple  but  profound,  and  are  to  be 
fathomed  only  by  the  repeated  searchings  of  every  age,  just  as  in  tropical 
seas  there  are  treasures  which  seem  to  lie  within  reach,  but  are  brought 
to  the  surface  only  by  great  toil  in  the  depths. 

4.  The  Christian  character  springs  from  "the  mind  of  Jesus"  (i  Cor. 
^C-J  ?*"'■  *'5'  '*'''■  '°'9'  '"■  '  J"''"  4:12-17).  This  is  discovered 
chiefly  in  the  gospels,  and  to-day  to  the  great  blessing  of  Christendom 
they  are  being  studied  more  closely  than  ever.  The  dew  seems  to  be 
always  upon  them  as  in  the  morning  of  a  new  day.  These  gospels  make 
the  mind  of  Christ  concrete  to  us.  His  eternal,  loving  Spirit  becomes 
more  real  and  human  to  us,  as  we  listen  to  His  words  and  read  His  char- 
acter in  His  works  and  conduct.  We  follow  in  His  steps  by  allowing 
His  living  Spirit  to  direct  us  in  the  way  that  Jesus  would  walk  were 
He  now  incarnate  again  on  earth  (l  Peter  2:21). 


The  T«uih  or  ihi  Akutolic  Goirn. 


Study  19:    The  Christ  of  the  Church 


Seventh  Day:    The  Qualitv  of  the  Christian  Mind 

tmmmm 

dom  an  mtensE  conviction  of  the  hideousness  of  sin     And  M,il",AU 

^vJii  .ff„    "^  P™  °?"<'  penitence,  but  a  new  and  hopeful  enerw  of 
loving  effort  to  reclaim  others.     The  Christian  rhara^.r  ;»  ,u.      a- 
tingu  shed  by  an  inexhaustible  dynamic  of  o«"lIowinTfrom  the  primal 
act  of  love  revealed  in  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God  "^ 


Thk  T«uth  Of  till  Apuiiouc  Gosm. 

Study  20:    The  vVitness  of  the  Works  o.  the 
Living  Christ 

First  Day  :    The  Gospel  is  Still  the  Uvino  Wo«d  of  God 

«?iHlr  S.F' ri?"""  -"^^i"  ^^: 

.™«ry  .„,crp„«  .r.  ,  proo,  of  ,h.  unce„i„7'-?I.iv''.',Sw'ir"„f";l,'e 

mmmm 


Tm  T»UT«  or  thi  Akwtolic  Goiru. 

Study  jo:    The  Witness  of  the  Works  of  the 
Living  Christ 


Second  Day:    The  Birth  of  Phiijinthiiopv 

Europ.'  (Leclcy).    "The",  can™   lifHrdL^ti  .t,.""*  "'  '"'"'"•'"■•n'  "' 

Ion.  period  b..n  ,s:^i:r„'5^'l';cLV^•E^^^;.:„x'^'.'fl!'YI"7.Y '"  •"' 

questionably  .hi,  is  to  £™Lyd  fo  °he™fl"eS  e'o™.h^  ™~l"1i.   """ 

problenis  of  human  life  are  still  numerous,  but  progreH  is  viliWe^n  Ihl 
nta-'a^'d'ii-dusrrfc-iv'iJi^J'  '""'''''  °'  a?bi.Sn"bS*h't  'S^ 

present,  none  have  been  greater  than  the  Christian  Chu?ch    fndeed^ ?« 

HrIZ  '^°"''"""'.""  "'  tjere  which  do  not  depend  for  their  most  un 

be  ;^of  the  Chr'i«i'a  ,  Ch'?rh7  '?<?  «',"'."'""  "P,™  the  devotTd  m™- 
oers  01  tne  Christia;!  Church?    (See  Lormg  Brace's  "Gesta  Christi"). 


ThI  TIUIH  OF  THI  AniTOUC  GotPB. 


Study  20: 


Third  Day:    Thk  (Jospki.  a  Perennial  Source  of  Reform 
Within  the  CiiuRrii 

I.    Objection  is  uflcti  taken  to  tlie  ariumint  f.„    h.  nr~,(  „(  .u 

:."."?£&■■'  "•  ™-""  i™«°= «"  si;=SV;s;  e 

In^iJ'"'  "' P'O'"'  >8=i"«  di'tortion  of  ,h*  go.p.    Xh  had  iTn 


•44 


Thi  T«fiH  or  nil  Abmtoiic  Cdsiil 

Study  30: 


Fourth  Day: 


Tub  Real  Though  Necessarily  Slo« 
Progress  of  the  Gospel 


tion.l  vices.  The  MohamZ-dai.  win  lln^  ^  .l"'-  """""''  «"''  """"»• 
n«.,  the  Orient"!  ir.hcTccd  "of  We«,,n  ^^'"1"°"'  ?'  .""'  '''""'«"■ 
Buddhist  at  our  ni.t.r,aLS"Ev/„^he  A„-lS?i5xo'n  "er!^,"'''.  ""'"«''"''l 
always  uniymMthetic,  ii  ofttn  «a™,r,H  k5.i  "  """^'  "V  "°  '"""'' 
principle,  iS  our  modern  "ifc     ""'""^  ^  "■'  ™|.otency  of  the  gospel 

a.    Seviral  considerations  modify  this  obieciinn     Th    ri.  •■        .    , 
has  made  proiress   and  rhri.»™j„-,      1.    '  ,'     ""^  Christian  idea 

ftHl^'s'sit-"  ™"  "^^^!:^^X\:::^'^:^T:^,rfi^ 

f.cV.t'Xi"«Me'  c'ondiL'n-r';;,'l'o''d'er';rTi','  "'  ^S'-'k"'""  «''"  '" 
proved  to  be  not  ineffective  On  nonT^^  .u  '  '^l  ""'ir  work  has 
rest  more  heavily  ha"  on  ,h„,r„hose  se^e  ^'.u^"^!.  "'  "■"""'  '"' 
This  is  a  powerful  motive  for  u'Sflr^VpKilan^'hr'o'p'i'c'  et?!'  "  """"■ 

heJ«s^o''n'^!;^h"^^°^%??J"?i„''  ""jJs-uVearnS  "^  t  ^  "'  '"' 

Se*??div"S'^tst'^i;!;-",'o,  i/{7"'r, "'"-'''-  °" 

deeply  ingrained  habits  byl^tter  conduct.  '''"'''«"•"'  "f  ""d  and 

vir'uleirspiri.'ofitn*'''Th':ris'evidinfin°Th"™'''^  ?"'"'''"■"<'  "^  > 
hate  the  gMpel,  for  its  uc«,,  mea„,  the  r  »„^"il''?'''.''''^  ''™""'  "hich 
in  an  infinite  vanet-  .f  shapes  Tmonl  ri^h  .  J^''""""  Mammon  also 
the  hearts  of  men.  '  And  our  laPwH  ml  ^.5.'"''  '^'"  T'^'  '"""l^  "Pon 
we  are  paying  for  he  mistakes  of  ilT.  rl  u"'  P"  °'  "«  '"I"'  P'K' 
facultie?  a^e'atrihied  the^r  re°  ^™,'^Sa[u?ei"„'^  P"';i  '^i'"  ''"""^^ 
true  weapon  of  the  gospel  is  its  w^H^  of  ?ovI  ,  S'ra'y«<l-  But  the  only 
ual  within  the  heart  WheJethi^hA.flmr.  ''  '}'  '"F"'  ">  ""  '?■'"'- 
whatever  cause,  i,  can  he  bu,  'lowfy'"  ™  /dTnV.°hh7'""''''?  ^^^ 
sense  requires  time  to  subdue  the  coarse  element.  „fM^'''""  sP'^'Kal 
In  some  unfortunately  there  seem stnt!f  „!?  'I °' l^^"""™  and  self. 
Did  not  Jesus  Himse^  lo^Vo^^^f'^o^er  (Mfrk'j-i^,^''  °'  ""  '°^- 


'45 


Th»  TauTB  or  ihi  Arosnuc  Gosm 
Study  20: 


Fifth  Day  :    Foreign  Missions  a  Proof  of  the  Vitauty  of 
TBE  Gospel 

faiS  ■'"^■nK.""  P"t  "■""ry.  A  faith  that  will  mik.  Mcrifice" "s  rffviM 

th^rl^V'^"'  »',  "iMions  may  be  estimated  by  the  reproduction  of 
the  Christian  type  of  character  even  in  the  most  unliltelv  ouarterr  A 

r,?f  ^V"",?  '■'""u"'  *"*.'■■  ""«"»  f™">  h"them°m  whi?h  e"pre»se1 
itsdf  naturally  m  the  words  of  Scripture,  a  conscience  regulated  by  the 
authority  of  /esus  as  a  living  PersoS,  and  a  cha«ct  "aporoStSLr  in 
Its  virtues  to  the  Christian  ideal.  Threadbare  often  eno„Xth?Smei° 
of  the  new  man  may  appear  it  is  true,  but  far  oftener  itTs  surpSriy 
t"et'  Abo«  all  VhTl'*  ""•"  '?  '\'""'  'V  '"'''<'"  <"  older  SS 
RSe.m^;'nd  LorVis  r''ep«?eT  '""  '°  •"'"'  ""  ""'«"  ^"""'-  '""' 
3-  Multitudes  of  these  converts  to-day  are  winning  their  liv»  h. 
seeming  to  throw  them  away  in  the  service  of  the  Son.  or  th?  « 
Ae''s'ou.?'i'T?"'r  (Lu*","^")-  There  is  the  Srdevotto," 
hi  inn -K  1    ■   'l''?"";".  Who  leave  their  homes  and  often  are  martyred 

»nH  ,h.^  ■  ^J  t"i'i"'"  °'  *'  Chinese  converts  during  the  late  vZ, 
^d  S"'  '^  ""  '1^  ""i  ?°"'°8  ""=  W'"*'  °f  South  Afrira  "the  natives 
r^J™.  ',"  "^if"  "?"^"?*  "  ™"°"'  <^'""«hes  form  an  almost  neSiSb" 
element  m  the  crimind  class."    We  should  not  expect  the  rich  fewest 

fest  onT^H™""  *""  *«.'e»l"/h<»«s  of  Christian  charaSerare^f: 
lest  on  nearly  every  mission  field. 

its^fulTil-'lW  ™  dispossesses  the  half-truths  of  other  religions  by 
l-J„  i  VV.  \'"' v'"??.  "  '°  •>«  "■»r'«d  not  only  by  dir'ct  con- 
heahe„'l,^H,\,^r'  ""*"?''•'  TT'  """^Ph'"  whfch  ^t  creSes  °n 
-S,J^^i,  •  f'^™*''  '"  India,  chiefly  as  a  result  of  missionary 

^  ,  t.i.  '"'"'  '"L"'  •>"  iK^me  more  shy  in  professing  its  shameless 
'  ;•  hology  or  worship.  "Christianity's  method  is  silent,  slow,  certain 
mdermines  rather  than  violently  overthrows  old  systems.  It  deals 
f  ,i;;L  It.  .•'■.;  f-."  °''^  ,"i''  "'"''=*'  oppress  mankind  rather  by 
Jj=n  L^'  '"  i"  ^H^  '■''  "1'  °'..^^,V^'  ^y  '"b'tituting  something  highef^ 
than  by  directly  attacking  them"  (Stewart,  "Dawn  in  Darkest  Afrira") 


146 


The  Thuth  or  rai  Apostouc  Gosm 
Study  20: 


Sixth  Day  :    Objections  to  the  Proof  or  the  Gospel  from 
Missions 

wins  sr^p:^'Xz  xsss-  wi^'^^sro?^',"-""-"^ 

Against  Mohammedanisrt,  e.  g    thtto7^1  i,lSS,    °'  uH'°r  «""!'• 

pervious  to  the  nobler  ethicil  ideal  of  ,t,-  »„  i"""!'  ""=,?'  "">«  inl- 
and force  with  a  simple  Seirbn  o  Zd'Z;  /PP'"""? '»  P^de 
so  much  less  stringent  than  Sm,  nf  .k^r?  •  ?  ''".mora'  demands 
sterilizes  the  native*m"nd  Bu  H  it  bl  ^inin^'l^'Tf  !""'«"'^^-  I»lan. 
undergoing  disintegregation  in  Persia"^  FeiS  T^  nt  '/?'•"•'";""  ■"'  "^ 
vancng  ,n  a  far  greater  ratio  .hfn"t'i;?„:t'jill'?nc;'et.?f"r^^„,Si»;l- 

asfigni't"^  t" P^ch^n|1/'S'c'^^L°'>J-t%«'H"'''  "«  .^•■™"- 
to  be  ascribed  to  i.  ■  prSmss^f  ^.«,™  ,S^  .?  '*?''?' .?."  '"  "^^^ 
are  not  in  a  position  to  Moo?tinn?kr  !  .°"''''  2"''  ""'iration.  We 
civilization  and  the  80^?,^"'?%.™  dn">;.V.  '"««"«  °'  education* 
upward  trend  of  life  But  it  m.?V  r^nfiXS  "nf"''"!'  f""""  '"  "-e 
educated  only  in  secular  WestMn  Wief?1f,iJ  '^'"'^  "'"  "«  "'"du 
menace  to  India,  because  he  is  "wanHer.W  hi,  '*'''  •"''"""«  ,'°  ^  »  »«!'! 
the  other  powerless  to^^r„.*'F„"'h?r  Yn  wt^Tf  ';™^'<' V«  dead, 
raerce  has  really  degraded  the  native  race's  and  ■•In  ii^^  ""°<'""  ?™- 
shows  that  civilization  without  ChrisSiv  1,..  i  modern  «perience 
Jat^have   fallen  to  the  lowest  SS^i^SeX.-^l^Iw'.llXSrs! 

an'd  the  cha™c7e^Jl^hT■i"diJral'?^^^^^^^  "  ™-i"n  mission, 

preaching  of  the  apostolic  aw  to  tS^V,  !»'"'«'"=  "'n'ts  of  the  first 
conditions  are  not  sim  ar  pfom  Persia  to  ,h^w,«  ""  '°™l'-  The 
moral  elements  of  that  world  worsh[neH.°„?k-"""  °'""  ""«  *""' 
as  proselytes,  and  from  Siese  a  s^Sdv  .ll"  '""  'J™5K?S"es  as  Jews  or 
Church.  There  was  a  c<Jimon  lanmagc  ^JSI"''r''''°  ""  ^^"'^•"' 
and  the  world  was  ready  to  HstenTS-davThT,^- "'*"""  ^'""^'P'ions, 
pies  to  whose  language  and  ways  he  i,  ,n  L  .  missionary  goes  to  peo- 
in  tenns  of  forei^  thought  ^rther  where  ,h,*^*„  1  *e""='  "?"««• 
of  the  new  religion,  they  have  lien  /i  1.  "'  ^'?^J^  ^'"  an  inkling 
distrust  becausi  of  the  presence  of  n™?^l",;j'  ''<■  *°  "K'"'  '*  with 
whether  in  commerce  or  pri"te  raora^  ™  v"^"""!!"  "J"?"  ""'"'"«• 
Christianity  professed  by  white  or  Hack  is  7^f  hJS^",-^^'"  >'"■■  " 
soon  worsted  by  the  awful  praSice  of  ilf..  '.''  "  ".''^'"S  *^"'.  ■'  " 
heathenism.  practice  of  the  unrestrained  natural  man  in 


TBI  Truth  or  the  Atostouc  Gospu. 
Study  20: 


Sevekth  Dav  :    The  Gospel  op  the  M.ss.onarv  is  the 
Gospel  of  the  New  Testament 

the  death  of  the  Son  of  God  5„o»ltes  for  .h^i.  '  '"■"•/"'« -notive  which 
of  converts.     Occasional^  iffin  L  '"  own  life  and  the  winning 

which  are  crudSr^«icbu,1hereii,rS;2"  their  belief  in  term! 
conviction.    The  educ^ed  ™n  with  /Tv  «°'\^,P">dmom  amount  of 

deemed  him.    The  .over'L*^lS7i^rr't/u?h"lf?h;-tisro';?c'gVs,?f 

sp?ead''o'fnrBTbirgfi'n%si.stv;tr?ha7i™ii  '"''"fr  '?r "« 

stands  forth  dearly  enouirh  in  .hi^.^f  .  'J"  ^^,"  "^  J""'  Christ 
cultured  Brahmin  ^hTchin«entefati''lL''"Afri'''"'"-,i°  "'^'""  "«= 
cannibals  of  the  South  Sear  TKH,hfr    ""«  Afncan  villager,  and  the 

ss^^i'ffl,;  Sa=  m%T&E  .v^ 


t4S 


